NFL American football franchise the Oakland Raiders is reportedly in talks with English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur to stage its full 2019 regular home season at the North London team’s new stadium.
UK newspaper The Mail on Sunday said that talks are being held between the two teams as the Raiders seek a venue for their final regular season before the move to a new stadium in Las Vegas in 2020. The Mail said any deal between the teams could see the Raiders play a set of four ‘home’ games in London, before returning to the US for four road fixtures and then repeating this system to complete its regular season.
Tottenham’s new stadium, which has yet to receive a firm opening date, has been designed to host NFL games alongside football matches. It was due to host its first NFL game, featuring the Raiders against the Seattle Seahawks, on October 14 before the fixture was switched to Wembley Stadium due to the ongoing delays in delivering Tottenham’s new home.
Neither team has commented on the report, with the Raiders having seemingly played its last game in Oakland with Sunday’s 35-3 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Raiders last month opted to withdraw a lease proposal to continue playing at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
The decision by the Raiders came in response to the earlier news that the City of Oakland had filed a federal antitrust and breach of contract lawsuit against the National Football League, the Raiders and each of the other 31 NFL clubs, claiming compensation for the “cartel” actions that have led to its home franchise relocating to a new stadium in Las Vegas.
It was also reported last month that the Raiders were in talks to play at AT&T Park, home of Major League Baseball (MLB) team the San Francisco Giants. A groundshare at Levi’s Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers, has also been mooted, as has a move to Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, former home of the now Los Angeles Chargers.
Image: Tottenham Hotspur
