Foster hits back over Wembley

THE ROW over the rebuilding of Wembley Stadium took yet another twist last night when Norman Foster revealed he was considering suing a rival firm of architects which criticised his design, writes Robert Mendick.

The latest furore follows a report commissioned by Chris Smith, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which claimed Lord Foster's pounds 475m new arena was unsuitable for a British Olympic bid.

The study by American architects Ellerbe Becket claimed Lord Foster's plans were flawed and prompted Smith to demand Foster produce another blueprint.

But Foster is adamant his design, produced in conjunction with specialist sports stadia architects HOK Lobb, will be "the best stadium in the world".