The great divide over Wembley?

Adam Crozier: "Cautiously optimistic" about Wembley

The plan to redevelop a new national stadium for England remains blurred.

The Football Association insisted on Wednesday that there was widespread agreement between itself and the government on how the project should proceed.

But just at the moment the FA was revealing its support for Wembley at a news conference, so the government was issuing its own statement to the House of Commons.

And the contrasting tone of the two partners could not have been more marked.

This is how the confusion arose as the FA and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport appeared to contradict one another on some of the most fundamental aspects of the project.

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The decision

FA chiefs are upbeat about the prospects of Wembley being the site for the new stadium.

Jowell: "A great deal of work is still needed"

"We believe we have a very good chance of making this succeed," said the FA's "cautiously optimistic" chief executive Adam Crozier.

The government, however, is refusing to discuss Wembley's prospects in such positive terms.

According to Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell: "There is a very great deal of work to be done before there can be a final decision on the national stadium."

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The delay

The final decision on the stadium has been deferred until late April 2002.

Again, there appears to be some difference of opinion about why this hold-up has taken place.

The noises from the FA suggest it is more of a procedural necessity than a fundamental threat to Wembley's future.

"What we have to do now is go through a period of due diligence," Crozier explained.

"We have to make sure all the offers are full and final before giving a full and final decision. That would take around three months."

The government's trouble-shooter Patrick Carter, however, takes a more steadfast line.

"There remains much to be done," he cautioned, "and I would counsel all concerned not to consider this a 'done deal' until such time as legally-binding agreements are signed."

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The alternatives

The FA is confident Wembley will come through this period of "due diligence".

But the government has stressed that two alternative proposals are in place.

In her statement to the Commons, Tessa Jowell outlined the options available:

The rival Birmingham bid remains on stand-by and could still win the day - if the Wembley proposals are not "delivered within a reasonable timescale";

A more radical plan would be to continue with the status quo, with the England team playing internationals at club grounds. "It remains a possible outcome that no national stadium at all will be developed," Jowell admitted.

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The outcome

The tone of their public utterances may be different, but the FA and the government are united in their ultimate aim: they both want the mess that is the national stadium cleared up as quickly as possible.

Crozier has been keen to emphasise that the final decision rests with the FA, as the major backers of the project.

So regardless of the government's concerns, Wembley remains the most likely outcome - with the determined Crozier driving the project through.