New Spurs stadium to be open for big Euro tie

TOTTENHAM chairman Daniel Levy has confirmed plans to play the home leg of the Champions League quarterfinal at the new White Hart Lane after opening the club’s new stadium early next month against either Brighton or Crystal Palace. The £850million project is more than six months behind schedule and fans have grown weary of lodging at Wembley. Spurs’ opening game will be a Premier League fixture in the first week in April as long as Haringey Council issue a safety certificate for the new venue following two test events. But the opponents will depend on the outcome of Brighton’s FA Cup quarter-final against Millwall tomorrow week. If Brighton lose, they will face Tottenham in the first official game at the 62,000-capacity stadium on the weekend of April 6-7, depending on whether they are drawn to play on Tuesday April 9 or the next day in the first leg of the ChChampionsi LLeague llasttihteight. If Brighton beat Millwall, their Premier League game at Spurs will be postponed and the first game in the new stadium will be against Crystal Palace on April 3. It means Tottenham have played their final home game at Wembley — last week’s 1-1 draw against rivals Arsenal. Levy has fixed two dates in the diary for test events. First, Spurs will play an Under 18 fixture against Southampton on Sunday week, with a capacity of 30,000, followed by a legends match on the following Saturday, with a capacity of around 45,000. ‘We are delighted that we shall be able to welcome our supporters to the stadium and our players of the past and the future to take to the pitch on what will be momentous occasions for our club,’ said Levy in a message to fans released last night.