Ekun Samuel, 14 September 2016
Tottenham Hotspur is set to host the largest crowed ever to be featured in a game in England for a Champions League game as they prepare to take on League 1 league leaders Monaco at Wembley today. The club's return to the Champions League, after a five-and-a-half year absence, and a showdown with French outfit Monaco at Wembley today as seen over 80,000 tickets sold for the 90,000 capacity stadium.
It promises to be an electrifying and exhilarating moment for Spurs to host such a huge crowed in a glamorous competition as the Uefa Champions League, as they are the first to set this record of such magnitude of a crowd sitting for a game in England in the Champions League.
Spurs featuring at Wembley this season is as a result of reconstruction work going on at White Hart lane and a deal struck with FA to use Wembley for Champions League matches to meet UEFA requirements regarding access, capacity and rights delivery in other to see them finish the building of their new stadium.
Football Association chief executive Martin Glenn speaking in May, said: "Having Tottenham at Wembley for big European nights next season is a welcome opportunity for us to further the stadium's position as a world-class venue.
"As well as helping the club and its fans, it will benefit London and English football in general with our commitment to reinvesting all profits back into the game.
"The increased revenue will particularly help us meet our targets for improving coaching and grassroots facilities and growing participation. We were already on a strong financial footing, which allowed us to reinvest £117m back into the game at all levels last season."
Spurs will not be able to fill the stadium for every Premier League and Champions League match, although the source said they would be allowed to use the full capacity for the biggest games.
The source also said Spurs will pay roughly £22m per season in rent to the FA and the overall package could be worth up to £26m to the governing body, if Spurs progress to the knockouts stages of the Champions League.
Nonetheless, the use of Wembley may have a crippling effect on Spurs who had a fine display at the 2010/2011 competition where they reached the quarterfinals which Harry Redknapp's side went on to top Group A with 11 points, and nine of them came at the Lane after three stylish victories and 10 goals. FC Twente were thumped 4-1, reigning European champions Inter Milan were then beaten 3-1, before Werder Bremen suffered a 3-0 hiding.
The round of 16 tie against AC Milan at the Lane was a goalless draw but a triumphant one nonetheless as Spurs manfully protected the 1-0 lead they had earned in Italy.
Redknapp recently said the atmosphere at the Lane on those European nights was "worth a goal start," and it felt that way at the time.
Tottenham have lost that advantage this time, and they have only won one of their five competitive outings at the new Wembley. Since beating Chelsea in the 2008 League Cup final, they have lost two League Cup finals — against Manchester United (2009) and Chelsea (2015) — and two FA Cup semifinals, against Portsmouth (2010) and Chelsea once again (2012).
It remains to be seen if featuring at Wembley this season would be trembling and create a Deja vu for Spurs.
