Tottenham have confirmed the north London derby against Arsenal on March 2 will be played at Wembley as the club’s move into their new stadium continues to be delayed.
Spurs were originally set to make the move in September but construction and safety issues have repeatedly pushed the date back.
The derby had been mooted as a possible first match at the White Hart Lane-based arena, but the club has confirmed the game will take place at Wembley instead.
In a statement, Tottenham revealed certain safety measures have been secured but final tests and checks are yet to take place.
“We can today report that remedial works on the safety systems in the new stadium are near completion and we shall then move forward to the final stages of testing the fire detection and alarm system and its integration with the other safety systems,” the statement said.
“The success of this testing is critical to our ability to obtain a safety certificate and open the stadium.
“We can confirm, therefore, that we shall play our Premier League match against Arsenal on Saturday 2 March at 12.30pm at Wembley Stadium.”
Chairman Daniel Levy added: “Once again, thank you all for bearing with us and for the great support we have received from so many different quarters. These next few weeks are pivotal.”
Regardless of whether those tests had been completed by now, the north London derby would have been a questionable opening fixture in terms of policing and security.
The statement does not mention whether the following home match against Crystal Palace on March 17 has a chance of being played at the new stadium.
Palace remain in the FA Cup – ironically they knocked Spurs out in the previous round – and so the fixture could yet be rescheduled.
Better leaving the move till next season get the testing and other outstanding projects in place start anew next season
Do you think the stadium will be ready for next season?
I have my doubts.