Liverpool have pushed back the full opening of the new Anfield Road stand until next year - meaning fans who have bought tickets for next weekend’s Merseyside derby will miss out.
Complications arose after original contractors Buckingham Group entered administration a month ago but, after bringing Rayner Rowen Construction on board, a phased reopening was planned, with the home game against Everton identified as the stadium’s first potential full-capacity 61,000.
However, not only is that match set to be played with the top tier of the stand closed but all home fixtures until the end of the year will see the upper tier remain empty.
“Not having the upper tier open for the remainder of the calendar year is clearly significant,” said chief executive Billy Hogan.
“It’s just not possible at this point to put a new timeline in place. And, frankly, we don’t want to set the wrong expectation.
“What’s become clear is there’s just more work to be done in order to get a full project completion plan for the stand, which means the upper tier is not ready to partially or fully open until the end of the calendar year.”
Hogan apologised to fans who had already bought tickets for the highly anticipated Merseyside derby when the teams return from the international break.
“The schedule we had been told was that ultimately the upper tier would be open in some capacity for the Everton game, which is ultimately why we went ahead with the ticket sales,” he added.
“The reality is, we’re just really now beginning to get a clear understanding of what the reality of the delays are. We are really disappointed to have to deliver this news and really sorry for all those supporters who are impacted.
“I realise this is of little solace. This a really complex and deeply frustrating situation.”
It means the crucial period leading up to and immediately after Christmas when Manchester United, Arsenal, Newcastle and Chelsea visit will all be played in front of reduced-capacity crowds.
Other home matches affected are Premier League games against Nottingham Forest, Brentford and Fulham and two Europa League ties against Toulouse and LASK.
