Soccer: FA chief 'wanted to keep Wembley cost under wraps'
The chief executive of the Football Association reportedly asked the Government to underwrite the cost of the new Wembley stadium and keep it "under wraps" until after the General Election.
Adam Crozier wrote a letter to Culture Secretary Chris Smith in which he asked for money for "ongoing support" of the stadium, in return for keeping the agreement secret during the election campaign.
He also wanted the Prime Minister to meet with the FA, said reports.
A spokesman for the FA said Mr Crozier had written the letter but claimed it had been "misinterpreted".
"We've been in constant touch with the Government on this issue," he added.
"We were keen to bring the matter into the public domain ourselves and did so.
"It has never been our intention to cover anything up or prevent it becoming publicly known."
The spokesman added: "Everyone is aware that we are in a politically sensitive time and that was reflected in the correspondence.
"We always wanted a decision relatively quickly from the Government and urged them to respond before the board meeting on April 26, which happened.
"There was, and is, no question of keeping anything under wraps. This is just another attempt to divert attention away from the fact that the Government should support a national stadium. "
