FA backs Chelsea and Spurs at Wembley

Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur could both make Wembley Stadium their temporary home after Football Association chief executive Martin Glenn said it would be supportive of the move.

Spurs need to move away from White Hart Lane for 2017-18 while White Hart Lane is completely rebuilt, and Chelsea are also expected to look for a new ground for up to three years while Stamford Bridge undergoes substantial redevelopment to raise the capacity to 60,000.

Chelsea have been linked with a move to Twickenham Stadium, home of the Rugby Football Union, while Tottenham were reported to be in talks with Milton Keynes Dons over a ground share at Stadium:mk.

It could be that the 90,000-capacity Wembley hosts Premier League matches week in, week out after the FA admitted it would make financial sense for the ground to be used regularly for football.

“I won’t comment on clubs but if that’s an opportunity then we will follow it,” Glenn, speaking at Soccerex in Manchester, told the Guardian. “We are there to provide help. We can run the FA for less costs and we can raise more.

“There’s a range of things. It’s primarily a football stadium, football matches are more profitable to run than concerts and other things. We are the national stadium and seeking to use it more is what we are all about.

“We have an obligation to football. I’m not talking specific clubs but it’s in our interest as an association for clubs to redevelop their grounds, make superb facilities and if it’s possible to help them in that transition by using Wembley, we are absolutely supportive of that.”

The new White Hart Lane will also host NFL games in a 10-year partnership. NFL games have already been staged successfully at Wembley since 2007.

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