27 July 2001
The Carter inquiry, set up by the government under independent analyst Patrick Carter to examine possible alternative sites, will recommend that Wembley keeps the ball, according to Sir Rodney Walker, chairman of Wembley National Stadium Ltd, the Football Association-owned subsidiary responsible for the troubled northwest London project.
'I believe that the report will be in favour of Wembley,' Walker said in a newspaper interview. 'There will be a reduced cost project, without prejudicing the new Wembley.'
Carter's recommendations are officially announced on August 20.
The original Wembley development would have cost £660m but was halted because of a financial shortfall of between £350m and £400m, which the government refused to cover.
Rumours persist that Bob Stubbs, chief executive of WNSL, who is on sick leave, is likely to leave the company. According to Walker, Stubbs' position is being reviewed after the failure to secure financial backing.
If the Carter inquiry recommends Wembley it will put added pressure on the government to back the scheme. It will also be a boost for London and its mayor, Ken Livingstone, who launched a campaign to keep the Wembley Stadium project alive on July 20 with the It's got to be Wembley report.
The 13-page pamphlet, backed by English football heroes such as Sir Geoff
Hurst and David Platt, argues that the Wembley site development is the most economical option and will safeguard 10,000 jobs.
PFjul2001
