Minister: 'No more money for Wembley'

The Sports minister, Dick Caborn, warned the Football Association yesterday that there will be no more public money for a national stadium to replace Wembley.

The FA will announce tomorrow that the troubled national stadium project will be built at Wembley after all.

But Mr Caborn told The Independent on Sunday that the FA would have to carry the can for any cost overruns: "There will be no more public money for the stadium, apart from infrastructure," he said. Having been criticised for delays, confusion and U-turns over the plans, the Government is washing its hands of the scheme. It is still prepared to improve roads to the new stadium, however.

Building at Wembley will mean the FA will not have to repay a £120mlottery grant it received to buy the site.

It is understood that the FA turned down appeals by ministers to reconsider Birmingham's bid in favour of the Wembley site. Kate Hoey, a former sports minister, accused the FA last week of "hijacking" the national sports stadium project for football.