Minister 'interfered' in Wembley

The redevelopment of Wembley stadium is in a "mess"

The outspoken chairman of Chelsea football club, Ken Bates, has launched a scathing attack on Sports Minister Kate Hoey for "interfering" in the redevelopment of the Wembley football stadium.

Mr Bates, who resigned from the board of the Wembley project earlier this month, accused the minister of "consistently undermining" him, and said her period in office had been characterised by ignorance.

"We are trying to create a world class stadium"

Sir Rodney Walker
Chairman, Wembley National Stadium Ltd

Appearing before the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Mr Bates said it was "more in sorrow than in anger" that he contrasted the "mess over Wembley" with the success of the Australian Olympics stadium.

Nothing but ignorance

Since the appointment of Kate Hoey as minister with responsibility for the development, there had been "nothing but criticism and undermining based on nothing but ignorance", Mr Bates said.

"The government should have been on the sidelines cheering us on but instead spent 19 months knocking [the project]."

Concentrating his fire on the sports minister, Mr Bates continued: "We only know what she thinks when we read the newspapers".

The new chairman of Wembley National Stadium Ltd, Sir Rodney Walker, paid tribute to the contributions of his predecessor, and insisted the stadium would be ready for the 2005 World Athletics Championships.

Ken Bates: "The Government should have been cheering us on".

Financing problems had set the project back by up to 18 months, at a cost of between £20m to £30m in interest payments, MPs heard.

A total of £130m had been spent so far.

Sir Rodney, who said his time as chairman had been spent scrutinising the designs for the redevelopment, looked forward to the completion of a "21st Century stadium".

He said: "We are trying to create a world class stadium, a stadium of which the country can be justly proud."