SOCCER NEWS ROUND-UP:HARRY REDKNAPP yesterday sidestepped the issue of Tottenham's 11th-hour bid to take over the Olympic Stadium by joking he was scared of upsetting chairman Daniel Levy.
Spurs confirmed yesterday they had officially registered an interest in moving to the ground after the 2012 Games just hours before yesterday’s deadline and hours before being given the green light to build a new stadium of their own.
Levy admitted the club were covering their bases – a move which appears to have been prompted by fears a wrangle with Transport for London (TfL) will see their plans to construct a €460 million ground vetoed by London Mayor Boris Johnson.
TfL, chaired by Johnson, were one of the key objectors to Tottenham’s planning application.
They are demanding Spurs contribute €3.5 million to upgrade the Tottenham Hale railway interchange, but the club are refusing to pay more than €2.3 million.
That did not stop Haringey Council’s planning committee unanimously voting to approve the scheme following a four-hour meeting last night.
Spurs boss Redknapp believes the planned 56,250-seat ground would be a perfect home for the club, but reckons the Olympic Stadium in Stratford – which is likely to have 60,000 seats for football purposes – would also be ideal.
He joked: “I don’t want to say the wrong one and Daniel goes, ‘what’s he talking about’? New stadium would be great, or the Olympic Stadium would be great. It’s not up to me, I’m only an employee.”
Meanwhile, Leicester City chairman Milan Mandaric hopes to appoint an “experienced manager” this weekend as successor to the sacked Paulo Sousa. The English Championship side dismissed Sousa yesterday following the club’s poor start to the season, just days after Mandaric appeared to have given the 40-year-old his backing.
Former Northern Ireland, Newcastle United and Manchester United winger Keith Gillespie (35) has been declared bankrupt.
And Celtic will visit Dublin for a friendly game tomorrow week with the Scottish Premier League outfit taking on Bohemians.
