A LANDLORD says he was forced to close his pub early after only two customers turned up to watch a World Cup game.
Chris Howell, the landlord of The Oak Inn at Staplow, was forced to cancel the screening of the England vs Panama World Cup game on Saturday evening (June 27), after customers failed to show for the 10pm kick-off, which he says cost him more in staff wages than in takings.
Although the Government relaxed licensing agreements across the country to allow communities to "come together" at their locals for the matches, Mr Howell believes this concept has failed due to a decline in late evening trade for many establishments since the pandemic.
"I think it was born from COVID, they (people) still want to come out, last night we were very busy, but they all want to come out at the same time, so you're turning people away," he said.
"More often than not, at the weekends we're fully booked, but we're turning people away, and last night, because kick-off was at 10pm, the pub was empty by 9.15pm, which is quite normal."
Mr Howell said that the next match, against the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Wednesday, saw the bar area packed instead.
The landlord has criticised the licensing incentive, and says it "hasn't been a massive boost for the hospitality trade", and believes that pub landlords need to see a cut in both VAT, and National Insurance contributions to boost their businesses.
After a consultation earlier this year, the Home Office agreed that pubs across the UK could stay open until 1am to accommodate later kick-offs, which are affected by differing time zones, with matches held across Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
All match times are set by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the governing body of world football.
The Treasury was contacted for comment.
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