Construction of the new Wembley stadium has been dogged by delays

But Wembley National Stadium Limited said it did expect the much-delayed �757m venue to be finished this year.

The north London stadium was due for completion in August 2005, but hold-ups have led to events such as this year's FA Cup Final having to be rescheduled.

Construction firm Multiplex said it was sticking to its September deadline.

Slanging match

Wembley's operator appears to be losing patience with Multiplex, and has refused to guarantee that the venue will even be ready to host the 2007 FA Cup Final.

"Whilst the stadium is well on the way to being finished and looks magnificent from the outside, Multiplex still has major items to complete," said Michael Cunnah, WNSL's chief executive.

In a statement he said that Multiplex was still installing seats, working on the stadium's roof, repairing the drainage system and installing building management and life safety systems.

However, Multiplex is suggesting that WSNL will be to blame if the stadium misses its latest September completion deadline. A spokesperson said that Multiplex still hoped to have "practical completion" by then, but that WNSL had to finish some works for that date to be accurate.