TOTTENHAM face a further £10million cash blow with NFL chiefs set to cancel this year’s four “London Games”.
Spurs had capacity 60,000-plus crowds for their first two games on the sunken artificial pitch at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with gridiron bosses hailing the spectacular new venue.
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The Tottenham Hotspur stadium hosted an NFL clash between the Carolina Panthers and the Tampa Bay BuccaneersCredit: USA TODAY Sports
Houston Texans faced the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley in NovemberCredit: Reuters
Next season was due to feature the Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins as the “home” teams, with two matches for Shahid Khan-owned Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley.
But NFL bosses are understood to have now decided that the four matches slated for London, plus one set to be played in Mexico City, will now stay on US soil as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
It will make 2020 the first year since 2006 that has not featured an NFL game in London.
The decision is set to be confirmed in the coming days with the NFL – which made a significant investment in the new Spurs stadium – expected to insist this is a one-off move.
Tottenham and the NFL agreed a five-year deal for matches to be played in N17 although the first two games were delayed for 12 months as work on the £1bn stadium ran overdue.
News of the cancellation will be a body-blow to Spurs as it will deal another hit on income this year, and also hurt the FA, preparing for a £150m loss as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak.
Spurs gross around £6m from every home game played by Jose Mourinho’s team.
Income from the American Football games are shared with NFL chiefs but the club anticipated significant catering and merchandising revenues from the two matches, with the stadium transformed into a genuine slice of the USA.
The news comes as midfielder Harry Winks suggested he would not be happy about returning to action behind closed doors.
Winks told Radio 5 Live: “It’s a possibility that could happen and the thought of it is probably not something that every Premier League player wants to do.
“It’s a strange situation not having the fans there.
“You know that’s what makes football, that’s what makes the atmosphere, that’s what everybody plays for and lives for, it’s the fans.
“When you can’t hear the chanting, you can’t hear the crowd, it’s going to be a strange situation.
“We had it last year (with England) when we played Croatia away, it was a very strange situation to be involved in.
“It’s not something that I like and I know there’s a lot of players who feel the same way.
“So it’s not something that everyone wants to do, but if it’s the necessary action that has to be done, it’s what’s got to be done.”
Watch the new Spurs stadium transform into an NFL field as the first kick is taken under the lights between the Oakland Raiders and the Chicago Bears
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
