QUELLE SURPRISE!

The Football Association admitted for the first time yesterday that their plans to open the new Wembley Stadium for the FA Cup final, on May 13, are in doubt.

The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, venue for the last five finals after the old Wembley was demolished in 2000, remains on stand-by if construction work in north London falls behind schedule.

Brian Barwick, the FA chief executive, said: "I don't know today where the Cup final will be held. If Multiplex [the building contractors] are true to their word, it will be staged at Wembley. If not, then it will be at the Millennium Stadium.

"I will be at the 2006 FA Cup final but I don't know what stadium I'll be at. I hope it is Wembley. There is every chance that Wembley will be ready, but we've taken the prudent step of booking elsewhere."

"We are taking rain checks every couple of days. They are getting on building the thing and it is no good me ringing every two minutes, saying 'Have you got that finished?'"

An official statement took a more confident line:

"The FA are assured by Multiplex, through Wembley National Stadium Limited, that Wembley is on schedule. They are the expert contractors working to a fixed price.

"Therefore we have to be guided by their experienced advice that Wembley will be handed over to the FA by the end of March 2006 and be open for the FA Cup final.

"However, it would be naive of any organisation involved in such a huge building project not to have alternative plans in place, should any unforeseen problems occur. Therefore it is accurate that the FA are in negotiations with an additional venue - purely as back-up."

Multiplex originally promised a completion date of Jan 31.