PLANS to rebrand Middlesbrough FC's Cellnet Riverside Stadium as 0-2 have been shown the red card.

The stadium is set to be renamed after British Telecom decided to change the name of its mobile phone arm to 02.

But BT's plan has been thrown into disarray because a property group is considering taking legal action.

Burford, which was behind the Trocadero complex in London's West End, and has a shopping centre called O2 in north west London, said it was considering expanding the brand across Europe.

The group said it was consulting its lawyers over BT's use of O2, and added that it was surprised the telecoms giant had not approached it before launching the new name.

BT announced yesterday that BT Cellnet, which it is spinning off as a separate company, would be branded mmO2, while the more familiar name for customers would be O2 chosen for its connection with oxygen.

A Burford spokesman said: "We're taking legal advice about what our position is. It is clearly not passing off but it is a brand we have used to promote a particular type of product.

"One would have expected BT to have stumbled across the fact that something else was branded O2 and have been in touch with the company, but there has been no contact between us."

A BT spokesman said: "We do not believe there is an issue as the two companies operate in different fields."