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Wembley Stadium chief steps down

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LONDON, England -- Michael Cunnah has quit as chief executive of Wembley Stadium, with the long-delayed project nearing completion but still facing reported problems.

The rebuilt stadium is scheduled to open in time for the FA Cup final on May 19, more than a year late. The latest concerns are over how long it will take to open and close the retractable roof.

Cunnah will step down on Friday from his role at Wembley National Stadium Ltd., which is a subsidiary of the Football Association. FA group finance director Alex Horne will take over his responsibilities.

"I am proud and delighted to have helped bring the Wembley dream to reality," Cunnah said.

"The stadium is now virtually complete and looks magnificent. The future now looks good for WNSL, and I know the team will make this the best stadium in the world.

"We have started to put in place an exciting calendar of events for next year, and the sale of Club Wembley seats and boxes has been so successful that we are sold out in almost every part of the stadium."

Cunnah's departure comes at a time when there is a dispute over whether the sliding roof will close within 15 minutes or nearly an hour.

According to the magazine New Civil Engineering, safety concerns have been raised about stresses generated on the main supports during the opening and closure of the roof.

While Wembley officials insisted the sliding process would take 15 minutes, the magazine suggested the safety issues meant it would now take up to 56 minutes, 30 seconds, and with no spectators inside the stadium.

The cost of rebuilding Wembley, which was knocked down after staging its last game in October 2000, has spiraled to 793 million pounds ($1.54 billion). The scheduled opening date has been put back several times.

Much of the delay centered on a legal dispute between Wembley and Australian construction firm Multiplex. The two parties reached a settlement in October.

FA chief executive Brian Barwick said: "Michael has made a hugely significant contribution to the development of the new Wembley Stadium project - we would like to thank him for all his hard work and wish him well in the future."

Official opening

The builders are expected to hand over the keys in February before a series of events leading to the official opening for the FA Cup final on May 19.

Wembley is now moving out of the construction phase into operational phase - and plans to stage a concert in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, in July were announced earlier this week.

An FA spokesman refused to comment when asked if Cunnah had been sacked - but it is understood the change was agreed by all the stakeholders involved in the stadium, including the Government and Sport England.

They will now look to appoint a new managing director for the stadium in the new year.


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