Gareth Southgate fears financial fair play rules could hinder England’s hopes of winning the Euros this summer. Earlier this week, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United announced they will play a friendly in Australia – just days after the conclusion of the Premier League season.
On May 19, the Lilywhites will face Sheffield United at Bramall Lane while Brentford host the Magpies at the G-Tech Community Stadium. With little to no time to rest, Ange Postecoglou and Eddie Howe will then lock horns at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on May 22 in aid of the ‘Global Football Week’,
Two days later, Newcastle will return to action against A-League All Stars. No more than two weeks later, England will play the first of two pre-European championship warm-up friendlies, facing Bosnia on June 3 and Iceland on June 7.
James Maddison, Kieran Tripper and Anthony Gordon, who are all in contention for a place in the Three Lions squad this summer, will only have a few weeks of downtime. As Southgate steps up preparations for the Euros, the England boss was quizzed on the controversial clash in Australia.
He said: “It’s going to happen more and more. Why? Financial Fair Play means clubs need to generate money. We’re in a bizarre world where there’s more money in the game than ever before and yet everyone’s scrambling to generate more. The normal way of doing that is to play more games, so is that great news for us in terms of preparation? No.”
While Southgate has raised his concern with the friendly, Howe described the tie as an ‘great opportunity’. The Newcastle boss said: “This is a great opportunity to showcase Newcastle United at two iconic venues in an iconic city as the club continues to grow globally.
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“We are privileged to have so many incredible supporters around the world, and it’s a chance to be able to play in front of many in Australia who wouldn’t ordinarily get the chance to see the team. We look forward to engaging with our supporters in Melbourne and giving them the opportunity to feel closer to the club.”
Meanwhile the Chief Football Officer at Tottenham, Scott Munn, said: “We are delighted to be heading to Melbourne for a post-season fixture against Newcastle United. Being able to take our team overseas is always a huge honour.
“We have amazing global support and to have the opportunity to connect with those fans who may be based thousands of miles away but are fanatical about the Club is truly special. When we visited Perth last summer we were blown away by the warmth shown to us by our Australian fans, and I know it will be the same in Melbourne.”
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