Tottenham Hotspur fans’ worst fears were realised when the club confirmed that their new stadium would not be ready in time for already-delayed date of September 15, with the venue looking unlikely to be playable until the middle of October.

“Following the release of the Premier League fixtures for the 2018/19 season, we announced that, barring any significant issues with the final stages of stadium completion, our match against Liverpool on 15 September would be the first match in our new stadium. Recent testing and commissioning has now shown issues with the critical safety systems,” a club statement read.

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Initially, Spurs had announced that their new stadium would be ready in time for the 2018/19 Premier League season.

“Urgent follow-up meetings with Mace and the trade contractors are now taking place. We are reviewing the situation and planned timetable to rectify and re-test, after which we shall be in a better position to outline a revised timetable.”

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However, the first delay was announced in the summer as the launch date was shifted to a September 15 clash with Liverpool, but now the date was forwarded again with the latest setback.

“The delays created by these difficulties mean that we can no longer hold the necessary Test Events on 27 August and 1 September. These will need to be rescheduled to take place ahead of any first official match at the new stadium in order to achieve the safety licence.”

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“In the meantime, therefore, our upcoming Premier League matches against Liverpool (15 September) and Cardiff City (6 October) will be switched to Wembley, as will the NFL match scheduled for 14 October.”

Last season, Spurs struggled at their rented home of Wembley Stadium initially, sparking rumours of a curse and while they did steady the ship somewhat, the damage to their title aspirations was done well before the winter.

The club failed to make a single purchase in the transfer market, leaving many fans miffed with the management, but the fact remains that they do posses a young and exciting squad.

After beating Newcastle United 2-1 away in their season opener, the Lilywhites will now turn their attentions towards a ‘home’ clash with Fulham on Sunday (19.30 IST).