England World Cup game 'could be cancelled' over major US row
Scotland also have two fixtures with the same issue in the US
A classic British summer begins on 11 June this year – AKA the World Cup kicks off.
Scotland are set to play their first game on 14 June while England take to the pitch on 17.
However, they have games that ‘could be cancelled’ as a major row is ongoing between a town in the US and FIFA.
A total of seven matches during the football tournament are due to take place at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, which is the NFL home of the New England Patriots.
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However, officials over there have threatened to pull the plug on these fixtures if it doesn’t receive a certain amount of cash.
The stadium has a seating capacity of 64,628 with fans having already snapped up their World Cup tickets and splashed out on travel and accommodation to cheer on their teams this summer.
Authorities in the town have been planning for the past couple of years but Foxborough says it is still waiting on £5.8 million to cover the security costs as leaders insist they cannot afford to front the bill.
Preparations therefore currently remain incomplete with major safety equipment yet to be ordered for the fixtures in less than four months’ time.
The local board has now warned that it will refuse to issue the entertainment license needed to host the games at the Gillette Stadium. The deadline for granting this necessity is 17 March.
Foxborough board member Bill Yukna warned: “It's the equivalent of seven Super Bowls here and 39 days of coverage, which is not small and not to be lost. We have to secure that facility for 39 days straight
“It comes down to sounding like Foxborough is being the bad guys here, but we really aren't. All we're trying to do is protect our citizens.”
And board member Stephanie McGowan backed up this claim over the financial burden as she said: “The money has to be here. Everyone thinks we have a football stadium in this town, but with that being said, we're a small town. We have 18,000 people.”
If the license is not granted, FIFA would need to find an alternative venue to host the matches.
Yukna previously stood by this decision to refuse issuing it as he explained: “The town is going to stand behind the request of the money for both manpower and some capital and expense items.
“And if they aren’t met, then as this board has discussed in the past, the license won’t be granted. We are going to be very clear with that.”
Scotland is due to play its first two group games at the Gillette Stadium with England set to play Ghana there on 23 June.
The LADbible Group has contacted FIFA for comment.
Jess Battison