Wembley FA Cup Final doubts

Wembley Stadium might not be ready in time to stage the 2007 FA Cup Final on May 19 after all, due to a legal dispute between contractors on the project which is believed to have cost around £800 million.

A newspaper report has claimed that an impending legal case involving Wembley contractor Multiplex and one of its subcontractors Honeywell could delay the staging of test events.

But Mulitplex have insisted that Wembley will be ready for the end-of-season showpiece: "Contrary to misleading reports in today's media, Multiplex can see no reason why the FA Cup Final should not be held at Wembley in 2007.

"Legal issues currently being resolved between Multiplex and Honeywell do not impact on site progress. Multiplex is working with WNSL (Wembley National Stadium Limited) and the FA within the timeframes allowed for practical completion as set out in the settlement reached last year.

"WNSL and Multiplex continue to work closely with Honeywell as they complete their final system demonstration and testing.

"On February 1 WNSL commenced its training and familiarisation exercises within the stadium and continued with its employers works, all of which will allow WNSL to apply for the safety certification to enable operational completion and the staging of the FA Cup final."

The new-look stadium has been beset by delays - work was originally due be completed by January 31 last year.

While Football Association chief executive Brian Barwick said last week that the stadium was "on track" to host the end-of-season showpiece, he pointedly added that there were "no guarantees" it would be ready on time.

Wembley must stage a number of test events before it can be granted a health and safety certificate.

An Under-21 international friendly between England and Italy has been provisionally scheduled to be the first "test" match there on March 24.

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