Levy in race to host Champions League match at new stadium
Tottenham Hotspur are facing a race to hold Champions League football at their new stadium when the competition restarts in February, as the club confirmed the latest delay to its opening.
As expected, Spurs have announced that the Premier League game against Manchester United on Jan 13 will be played at Wembley, with observers predicting the new home will not be open before February.
Having played all their Champions League group games at Wembley, Spurs are in talks with Uefa over their home venue for the last 16, with the club still to put a date on when they will move into their new stadium.
A Uefa statement said: “Uefa is in close contact with Tottenham. A decision will be taken in due course and before February 2019.”
Spurs will be unseeded in Monday’s last-16 draw, which means their home leg of the tie will take place on either Feb 12-13, or Feb 19-20.
Tottenham are holding a “familiarisation” event for fans at the new stadium on Sunday, but must hold larger test events before being able to officially open the ground.
The club are due to receive a status report from their contractors in the week commencing Jan 7, after which chairman Daniel Levy has promised another update.
Levy said: “We are acutely conscious that we are asking fans to go to Wembley for far longer than any of us wanted. However, we are now seeing the progress we needed to see. What I don’t want to do is set any firm dates until we have finally achieved a safety certificate. Once again I want to apologise to fans and to thank you for your support.”
Hundreds of Tottenham fans have complained of the treatment they received from Spanish police and Barcelona stewards on their way into the Nou Camp on Tuesday.