https://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-union/2018/05/16/talk-rugby-tottenham-heineken-share-taste-europe/
Tottenham Hotspur are interested in hosting the
Champions Cup final at their new 62,000 stadium on White Hart Lane. While
Marseille's Stade Velodrome is understood to be the front-runner for the 2020 showpiece, Tottenham's interest shows their ambition to be London's premier sports venue.
The new stadium, which is expected to open later this year even if it is not in time for the start of the new football season, has already confirmed NFL fixtures, with Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders due to play there on Oct 14.
The fact that
next year's final will be held in Newcastle makes it unlikely that the bid will be successful as tournament organisers EPCR are keen for the location of the final to be rotated between the participant nations.
But with the organisers keen to ensure that the final is staged at a location that is easy accessible for supporters after the exorbitant prices to get to Bilbao, Spurs will no doubt believe their bid is a compelling one.
Meanwhile EPCR's business model for their sponsorship looks set to change, with Heineken set to return as ***le sponsors for Europe's premier tournament.
When the old ERC was disbanded after pressure from the English and French clubs in 2014, the new company decided to pursue the model followed by their football counterparts Uefa for the Champions League with five or six partners replacing a sole ***le sponsor. Heineken remained as a partner sponsor along with Turkish Airlines, but given the tough market, it seems they have had to concede defeat in replicating Uefa's model.
Given the lack of options, Heineken are thought to be keen to expand their profile again and are thought to be front-runners ahead of Turkish Airlines.
There may or may not be any coincidence that
Amsterdam, the home of Heineken, are in the running to host the 2021 Champions Cup final.
