Tottenham could miss out on $5 million paycheck as NFL looks to skip hosting games in UK

The ongoing lockdown in the UK and across Europe due to the COVID-19 outbreak means Premier League clubs are already facing a major financial hit in the current and the upcoming campaigns. The latest report indicates Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur could miss out on a payday as NFL could ditch its London series due to the outbreak. 

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NFL in UK to be ditched for 2020 season

As part of the schedule for the 2020 NFL season, two regular-season games were expected to be hosted at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. International games in the NFL have been a norm since 2007 as the league tries to build a global fanbase. Most of the games of the NFL in UK took place at the Wembley Stadium. However, last year, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was the host to two games alongside Wembley. A game between Oakland Raiders and Chicago Bears took place on October 6, 2019, at the stadium. On October 13, Carolina Panthers played Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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The 2020 season would have seen a visit from Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons for their regular-season games. However, as it stands, the NFL is reportedly contemplating cancelling international games due to the threat of the outbreak. Tottenham Hotspur could potentially miss out in excess of £4 million ($5 million) if the scheduled games are pulled out. The scheduled games at the Wembley Stadium could also be ditched for the upcoming season.

According to the British media, Tottenham have a contract with the NFL to hold at least two games every year for the next nine seasons. Under current circumstances, it remains unknown if the NFL will be paying any compensation to Spurs for backtracking on the scheduled series. 

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The NFL was expected to release the official schedule for the 2020 season in May. However, the release of the schedule will likely be delayed as the officials are still contemplating if the season should be delayed due to the outbreak. The upcoming season was scheduled to begin in September but now it could be delayed as the officials are discussing a delayed start and a shortened regular-season format.

As for Tottenham, the Premier League is reportedly determined to resume the season in the month of June. As a part of the Premier League's Project Restart, clubs will begin training by May 25 in order to restart the season in June. The league is reportedly planning to complete the remaining 92 fixtures in a span on eight weeks. Close to 40,000 COVID-19 testing kits will also be procured by the clubs to ensure player safety when the season resumes.

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