English Premier League football club Tottenham Hotspur has moved to deny reports that its new ground will be called The Nike Stadium.
In a since-deleted video posted on Twitter earlier today (Friday), beIN Sports presenter Richard Keys revealed the supposed name of Spurs’ state-of-the-art new stadium, adding that the first game at the venue would be against Brighton & Hove Albion on the weekend of April 6-7.
The club has moved quickly to deny the claim, with sources telling the Daily Mail newspaper that Keys’ statement on the name of the ground was incorrect. US sportswear firm Nike provides Tottenham’s playing kit.
The ground has been given the provisional name of ‘Tottenham Hotspur Stadium’ while a naming-rights partner is found.
Tottenham has yet to confirm an opening date for the stadium but there is growing optimism that it will host its first match next month.
The Evening Standard newspaper reports that the club is close to announcing details of the two test events it is required to hold before the stadium can officially open. An U18 match against Southampton is reportedly the first event and will be held on March 24, with a legends match to possibly take place the following weekend.
Earlier this week it emerged that Tottenham is in talks with UEFA, football’s European governing body, over the possibility of staging a Champions League quarter-final at the new stadium next month.
Tottenham has been playing at Wembley while work on the new ground is carried out. Wembley is listed as the club’s official Champions League venue but UEFA can approve a change in certain circumstances.
The stadium was initially due to open last September but the project has been beset by a number of delays amid concerns over its critical safety systems.
Image: Tottenham Hotspur
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