Wembley plan back on track

Wembley's twin towers still stand as row rumbles on

A new national stadium will definitely be built at Wembley and not elsewhere in the country.

Sir Rodney Walker, chairman of the Wembley Stadium project, said work will hopefully start on the new stadium by the end of this year.

The plans had been thrown into chaos when the Football Association announced that without major investment from the government, the stadium would not be built.

The fiasco also led to the removal of Kate Hoey as Sports Minister in a post-election Cabinet reshuffle.

Walker: Confident work will start in 2001

But now Sir Rodney has insisted the project is back on track, with the required investment almost in place.

He told BBC Five Live: "At the moment, the FA have committed £100m of capital and £30m of guaranteed support, so the FA still believe they would like to support a national stadium.

"I believe the Government would like to see one, and I believe the whole of sport would like us to have a national stadium.

"I believe work will start on the new stadium before the end of the year. It will be very late in the year and it may even go into next year.

"I also think it is a definite `yes' that we shall have a new national stadium at Wembley."

Work to demolish the old Wembley, which has graced north London since 1923, was due to begin in November 2000.

You have so many great stadiums that there is no need to have another Wembley

Franz Beckenbauer

German football legend Franz Beckenbauer believes England do not need a national stadium.

The former Germany captain said there were enough top quality Premier League grounds instead.

He told BBC Five Live: "There is no national stadium in Germany because there are so many good stadiums - in Munich, in Hamburg, in Berlin - that there is no need to have one national stadium.

"It is the same in England. You have so many great stadiums that there is no need to have another Wembley."