March 8 (Bloomberg) -- Multiplex Ltd. will hand over the keys to London's Wembley Stadium to the owners, England's Football Association, tomorrow after completing work on the world's most expensive sports venue, a union official said.
The 90,000-seat rebuilt soccer venue, whose construction has been dogged by contractor disputes, was originally scheduled to be ready by January 2006.
``It's a beautiful stadium with cutting-edge technology with an arch that has never been done before,'' said Tom Kelly, an officer with the GMB union. GMB members did the steel work, including a distinctive arch that rises over the site.
Kelly said Multiplex notified the union of the handover plan. A spokesman for Sydney-based Multiplex -- which said Feb. 22 that completion of the job was imminent -- didn't return a telephone message. A Wembley Stadium spokeswoman, Kirsty Bowles, declined to comment.
The 757 million-pound ($1.46 billion) stadium is holding its first public event, a ``Community Day'' for 60,000 residents of Brent, the borough where it's located, on March 17. The Football Association is aiming to have Wembley ready to stage the F.A. Cup final, one of the sport's top events, on May 19.
The local authority, Brent Council, said on Feb. 28 that Wembley was on schedule to complete various tests that were necessary before the facility was certified to open.
Steel contractor Hollandia still owes workers back wages for the Wembley job, according to Kelly. The union and the contractor have reached an agreement over payment, he added.
MXG
multiplex group
