The controversial Wembley project has taken another twist as the government put the final decision on England's national stadium on hold until April 2002, pending an independent assessment of the Football Association's (FA) deal with Australian construction company, Multiplex.

The FA and Sport England confirmed Wembley as the preferred site for the national stadium following a report by Patrick Carter, which gave the go ahead for the 90,000 seat stadium in north east London, but Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell refused to confirm the government would back the £715m redevelopment plan. 'Patrick Carter's report describes the many uncertainties which need to be resolved. Any government support for infrastructure will not be committed until all those uncertainties are dealt with,' she said. The government is still prepared to consider Birmingham as an alternative or scrap plans to develop a national stadium altogether.

The government will now make its final decision next April. If the Wembley site is chosen, the stadium would be based on the original Lord Foster design, including a provision to convert the stadium to an athletics track. Multiplex will finance and construct the £385m stadium with the FA contributing £100m. Additional funding will come from the government, the Greater London Authority and income raised from 15,000 premier seats sold on a long-term basis.