Premier League willing to let Tottenham stay at Wembley all season if necessary

There are a couple of conflicting reports coming out about Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium, the ongoing delay with the safety systems, and when it might open for its first match. The first, from Dan Kilpatrick in the Evening Standard, says that the FA is willing to continue to work with Tottenham Hotspur to play its remaining home fixtures at Wembley Stadium should it be necessary.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail is reporting that Tottenham have again taken up an option with the FA to extend their stay at Wembley Stadium through the December 15 home fixture against Burnley, the last home match before the holiday fixture congestion hits in earnest. However, the implication is that the FA may reach a point where it mandates that Spurs play the rest of the season at Wembley, whether or not the stadium is ready this season.

The Spurs chairman stills hopes Mauricio Pochettino’s side will be playing at the new ground before December 15 and the extension of the club’s agreement with the FA — at a cost running into hundreds of thousands of pounds — is said to have been agreed purely as a safety net.

But confidence that the stadium will be ready this side of the new year is diminishing and if there are such delays it is possible there could be an intervention by the Premier League board.

— Daily Mail

It’s important to note here that the Mail is NOT reporting that Spurs will for sure move all their home fixtures until mid December to the national stadium, only that it is exercising that option should it become necessary as another fall-back option. The issue with the fire suppression and detection system is reportedly a pernicious one, and there is no timetable at present as to when the issue will be worked out and fixed. Until that happens, though, the specter of further delays to the stadium continues.

Spurs are still awaiting the Football League’s decision to play their scheduled “home” League Cup fixture against Watford at Stadium:mk, the home of MK Dons. If the new stadium does open this season it would potentially be the third Tottenham “home” venue, a fact that has rankled some rival Premier League clubs who argue that Spurs are receiving preferential treatment.