Frank Keating

The road to Wembley?

The League Cup final is, officially, the last time English clubs play a showpiece event in a ‘foreign’ country. Well, that’s the plan anyway

issue 24 February 2007

Football’s relishable League Cup final at Cardiff tomorrow has Arsenal and Chelsea, the big guns from London, intriguingly squaring up for what is, officially, the last time English clubs play a showpiece event in a ‘foreign’ country. Well, that’s the plan anyway. Personally, I wouldn’t bet on it. I fancy it is still anyone’s guess whether the rebuilt Wembley will host either 2007’s FA Cup final on 19 May or the league’s play-off finals the following week. I’m told Cardiff’s Millennium stadium continues to tell other promoters enquiring about possible bookings that English football remains ‘pencilled in’ at the top of the queue for those two early summer weekends.

Ongoing legal matters between subcontractors and Wembley’s main builders Multiplex still drag on apparently, enough to delay the official handover of the keys to the FA in time for a number of trial matches planned to test all the necessarily stringent health and safety regulations.

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