STADIUM “READY, WILLING AND ABLE”
The date of next season’s final – 13th May 2006 – is free in the Stadium’s busy event calendar, but there is currently no agreement preventing another event from making a booking.
“We are in contact with The FA on a daily basis and would of course let them know if another event organiser wanted to book us for that date,” said Stadium Chief Executive Paul Sergeant. “We have had an extremely close working relationship with The FA for a number of years, indeed we are looking forward to another of their major events this weekend in the FA Community Shield.
“So there is no question that we would not offer them the first right of refusal should we receive an approach from another source, but until that should happen the question is incidental.
“Just as we have enjoyed hosting the games over the past five years, we would love to have the FA Cup Final back again next year, but equally we hope not to be needed and wish the Wembley project well.
“Everyone involved is confident that Wembley will be ready and we know ourselves, as we prepared a brand new Millennium Stadium for the Rugby World Cup in 1999, that these kinds of projects are hideously complicated.
“We were ready, Athens was ready for the Olympics in 2004 and, although there will be doubters right up until the end, there’s no reason why Wembley shouldn’t get there on time too.”
