FA still hoping for 2007 Wembley Cup final

England's Football Association believe the 2007 FA Cup final can still be played at Wembley, despite the new stadium's builders…

England's Football Association believe the 2007 FA Cup final can still be played at Wembley, despite the new stadium's builders saying it would probably not be ready in time.

Australian construction firm Multiplex Group said in a statement it was unlikely Wembley could hold a test event for 90,000 spectators before June 2007 - a month after the final.

The FA responded by saying that, after talks with operators Wembley National Stadium Limited (WNSL), the ruling body "remains confident that Wembley Stadium can be ready for this season's FA Cup Final".

"This is of course dependent on when stadium constructors Multiplex meets all of its contractual obligations.

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"WNSL believes it is unlikely that Multiplex will complete their work by September but they continue to expect practical completion to take place before the end of 2006."

The FA said there were no plans to book Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, which has hosted finals since 2001 and was used last season when it became clear Wembley would not be ready.

"We do have to factor in that Multiplex have to date missed all key deadlines," the FA said.

"However, once they do deliver the stadium they were contracted to hand over several months ago, WNSL will then be in a position to complete a detailed timetable of commissioning work, test events and any other remaining works."

The £750 million sterling (€1.1 billion) redevelopment in northwest London has been dogged by problems and soaring costs.

The FA have already moved England's first two home 2008 European Championship qualifiers - against Andorra in September and Macedonia in October - to Manchester United's Old Trafford ground.