Wembley Stadium saga goes into extra time

THE long-running Wembley saga went into extra time lastnight as an announcement on the new London stadium was postponed until at least today.

A mountain of paperwork was blamed for yet another delay in officially firing the starting pistol for the 90,000-seat football and athletics venue.

Soccer chiefs, lawyers and bankers spent the day ploughing through a complex network of interlocking contracts which have to be finalised before any announcement is made. It means confirmation of the £750 million (1,196 billion euro)redevelopment was put off overnight and was expected today, though one source close to the deal said: "With Wembley, you can never be sure." Paul Newman, a spokesman for the Football Association, said outside the FA's London headquarters: "There have been no developments today."