£120m pledge over Wembley
Trevor Brooking today gave a £120 million promise which could save the troubled Wembley rebuilding plan.
Brooking is chairman of Sport England, the body charged with distributing Lottery money to sport.
The broadcaster and former England international was criticised yesterday by a Parliamentary Select Committee report into the Wembley fiasco.
The report attacked Sport England's decision to pay £120m to buy the old stadium before planning permission had been granted for a new one, and for not asking for the money back when it became clear the new stadium would not have an athletics track.
But, in an interview with Standard Sport today, Brooking refused to be cowed.
He said Sport England will demand its money back only if the Wembley project is scrapped.
Brooking said: "At the moment we are still trying to move the Wembley project forward."
His tacit support for Wembley will increase the likelihood of the Football Association being able to raise funds for the rest of the cost and supports the view that Wembley will get the go-ahead.
He warned, however, that the whole of sport faces a funding crisis because of falling sales of Lottery tickets and changes in the way Lottery cash is distributed.
Brooking's vow to troubled Wembley
