Tottenham confirm derby vs Arsenal will NOT be played at new stadium

Tottenham have confirmed next month’s north London derby against Arsenal will be played at Wembley as delays continue to hamper their move to a new stadium.

On Thursday Spurs confirmed that they are nearing the ‘final stages’ of safety checks before they open the state-of-the-art 62,000-seater stadium. 

But any hopes supporters had of moving to the new ground in time to face their local rivals have been finally dashed, with Tottenham announcing the March 2 clash will be played at Wembley.

Tottenham have confirmed that clash with Arsenal will not take place at their new stadium 

Instead the two sides will meet at Wembley as delays continue to hamper Spurs’ move 

‘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,’ a statement said.

‘The success of this testing is critical to our ability to obtain a safety certificate and open the stadium.

Chairman Daniel Levy paid tribute to Spurs fans’ ongoing patience, following delays to the new stadium which they hoped would be finished in time for the start of this season.

‘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.’ 

Spurs took a significant step towards moving into the stadium after opening the East Stand to supporters for the first time last week.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy paid tribute to Spurs fans: ‘Thank you all for bearing with us’

Tottenham opened the new East Stand to supporters for the first time on earlier this month

Around 1,000 people were invited to the familiarisation event where the Super Bowlwas streamed on the big screens.

It was the first time Tottenham have opened the doors to the new East Stand, the NFL event providing the club with an opportunity to test that part of the stadium.

As it stands, the games against Crystal Palace on March 17 and Brighton on April 6 have been pencilled in as moving in dates. 

Spurs must first hold two official test events at their new stadium before being given the final green light, plans for which should be included in the forthcoming update.

Tottenham may consider holding an Under-23 fixture at the new White Hart Lane as one of their test events.