By Andrew Warshaw
November 23 – Tottenham Hotspur have stolen a march on their rivals by becoming the first club to sign up to London United’s submission for potential 2018 World Cup venues.
The deadline for all stadiums to put their names forward to be part of England’s World Cup bid is Wednesday evening with London United’s submission going to the 2018 authorities 24 hours later.
Sources have confirmed to insideworldfootball that Tottenham’s proposed new 56,000-capacity stadium is the first from the capital to officially confirm their intention to be one of the venues for 2018.
Should England win the vote in December next year, Wembley would be used for the opening match and the final.
The capital’s other venues are as yet undecided though the proposed Olympic Stadium and Arsenal’s Emirates ground are understood to be in the frame.
The 16 English cities bidding to be included must submit their proposals before the end of November with a decision on which 12 will be chosen due to take place the following month ahead of the final submission to FIFA next May.
Competition is fierce with London going head-to-head against 15 other locations around the country.
Last month, Tottenham revealed they had submitted a planning application for a new state-of-the-art stadium and hope to move in at the start of the 2012-13 campaign, with the venue fully constructed by the following season.
The ground will allow fans to be nearer the action than at any other modern stadium in the country and is being built adjacent to White Hart Lane where the team will continue to play during construction.
Tottenham are refusing to declare the cost of the stadium project, with reports suggesting a figure similar to the £400 million Arsenal spent on the Emirates.
“Every fan will have an exceptional view of the action and will find themselves closer to the pitch than at any other comparable stadium,” said Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.
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