Super Bowl would be welcome at Wembley, says FA chief

Reuters
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Cecil Shorts carries Britain's Union Jack as he enters the field before the Jaguars met the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL football game at Wembley Stadium in London, October 27, 2013. REUTERS/Toby Melville

LONDON (Reuters) - The prospect of Wembley Stadium hosting a Super Bowl or a regular NFL franchise cannot be ruled out, according to Alex Horne, the general secretary of the English FA. Horne, a former managing director of Wembley Stadium which is wholly owned by the FA through a subsidiary company, told The Times newspaper that talks were ongoing with the NFL over a number of issues. Wembley has hosted various American football games since 1952 and since the stadium was rebuilt in 2007 the NFL has staged games there annually. Horne said he was willing to talk to the NFL about increased NFL activity at the home of the England soccer team. "The damage to the pitch is not so big with Desso turf," he said. "It's football's home, England's home first and foremost. If we could find another tenant that fitted in and worked I would go for it. We owe it to ourselves to see if it would work. "Then we can get the Super Bowl,". (Reporting by Mike Collett, editing by Ed Osmond)