Tottenham Hotspur strike contingency plan to play at Wembley for the rest of the season

Just in case...

Tottenham Hotspur have struck a deal with Wembley Stadium that will allow the club to use the national stadium for the remainder of the 2018/19 season while the official date of their new stadium's opening remains uncertain. The new stadium is almost ready for use, but widespread problems with the complex wiring in the stadium's fire safety systems mean the club cannot take any chances. Two weeks ago, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy confirmed that the stadium won't be open until 2019, and the club have set their home match against Manchester United on January 13th as an unofficial target. But in case of further delays, Spurs have reached an agreement with Wembley Stadium to use the stadium for as long as necessary this season. A statement on to Tottenham website reads: "Whilst Wembley National Stadium Ltd has been able to assign us a number of full capacity games, the restriction on the number of full capacity events available to WNSL each year means that our remaining Premier League fixtures after Chelsea will be capped at 51,000 unless otherwise advised. Special dispensation was granted by Brent Council for the 2017/18 season for WNSL to be permitted to increase the number of events at full capacity as a result of our temporary relocation for the entire season. As a contingency measure to ensure we can stage our matches whilst we await certainty on the exact opening date of our new stadium, the Club has reached agreement with WNSL to host any additional home games that we may have to play at Wembley Stadium. Additionally, WNSL will submit a planning application to Brent Council for a variation on the cap for our games in the event we require them. The application will be for games to be at a capacity of 62,000, with additional limited exceptions at 90,000. As announced previously, we shall look to provide a further update on stadium progress in early December."