Minister's rap for Wembley boss

Costs for the stadium had risen to over £600m

Sports minister Kate Hoey has delivered a thinly-veiled attack on the former boss of the Wembley Stadium project, Ken Bates.

Hoey told BBC Five Live's Sportsweek programme that since Sir Rodney Walker took over from Bates, "we've got the Wembley project in the hands of someone who will really make it work".

A full-scale review of the plan to build a new national stadium has been launched since Chelsea chairman Bates was relieved of his Wembley duties in mid-December.

The spotlight had fallen on the ever-rising costs for the stadium, which had risen to over £600m.

Sir Rodney Walker is someone who understands sport

  Kate Hoey
Sports minister

Much of the blame for this had fallen on Bates, who had lavish plans to include offices, a hotel and restaurants on the site.

Sir Rodney, the new boss of Wembley National Stadium Ltd, is committed to keeping all options open until they have been fully discussed.

Walker know-how

But a scaling-down of the proposed Bates project is the most likely option.

Hoey told BBC Five Live's Sportsweek programme: "I'm not running the new building of Wembley stadium and neither is the government.

"But now we have got, in Sir Rodney Walker, someone in charge who understands sport and is very good at talking to people and bringing them on.

Bates has lost his position as project boss

"I feel probably for the first time, if I'm honest, that we've got the Wembley project in the hands of someone who will really make it work.

"If he says that 'this can't work' or 'this mustn't work', then I'm very happy to listen to him."

Hoey made no direct criticism of Bates, but she said: "The FA has decided to make a change.

"They have decided that it is in the best interests of the project and I'm a great admirer of Sir Rodney Walker and look forward to working very closely with him."

The latest twist in a long-running and often contradictory saga is the suggestion that the famous twin towers might be retained.

Walker is holding a series of meetings this week before a planned WSNL board meeting.

Twin-Tower debate

He said: "I am very aware of the affection in which the Towers are held.

"They can't stay where they are as they would end up in the middle of the pitch because the new stadium is much bigger.

"But I am prepared to look at anything that anyone wishes to put to me over the Twin Towers. I will study all the options."

A spokesman for the FA, however, said: "There is little chance of the Twin Towers being saved."

Reassessment

Sir Rodney's brief includes requirements to:

resurrect the project, which failed to get the required £410m backing from the City in its previous form;

try to scale down the plans;

reconsider athletics, which was effectively excluded from the FA's original design for the stadium.

Bates' plan only included athletics as an after-thought, but Hoey has long been in favour of retractable seating being introduced, as in Paris' Stade de France.