FA confirm Cup final to be held at Wembley

March 28, 2007 18:13 IST

The FA Cup final will return to Wembley on May 19 after the new stadium was granted its safety certificate on Tuesday.

The certificate was handed out by Brent Council after two successful test events, the second of which was England's 3-3 draw with Italy on Saturday in an under-21 friendly international.

That match was restricted to around 60,000 spectators but the award of the certificate means the stadium can be used to its full capacity of 90,000.

"I'm happy to confirm that the 2007 FA Cup Final will be played at Wembley Stadium," FA chief executive Brian Barwick said on the FA's Web site (www.thefa.com).

"It's the announcement that a lot of people have been waiting for and is great news for football fans in this country and indeed the world over.

"The Cup Final and Wembley Stadium go hand in hand and everybody at the FA is looking forward to a great day."

The last FA Cup final to be held at Wembley was in 2000 and the last full England international was England's defeat by Germany in October of the same year.

Construction of the new 800 million pound stadium, which boasts an iconic 133-metre arch, was blighted by rising costs and delays meaning plans to hosts last year's Cup final there had to be scrapped.

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