CONCACAF has no interest in shifting the Gold Cup away from the United States until another country shows it can generate the same financial windfall through hosting the tournament, according to the organisation's general secretary, Chuck Blazer, reports Sport Business. The USA has staged all 11 editions of the biannual Gold Cup to date, including this year's tournament, which finished on Saturday with the host country losing 4-2 to Mexico. However, Blazer, the high-profile chief of the Confederation of North America, Central America and the Caribbean, insisted at a press conference shortly before this year's final that the event's revenues are maximised by the competition taking place in the USA.
"We have in the past solicited other countries," Blazer said. "We have in the past looked to see what the revenue generation would be and it has been the collective will of the members of the confederation to continue the event here (in the United States) because this is how we support all the other tournaments."
Blazer refused to reveal any financial figures, but said this has been the "best" Gold Cup to date. Total attendances in the 25-game tournament have topped 600,000, an increase of more than 20% from the 2009 edition.
"We have given a Gold Cup that in most respects has been better than any that we've done in the past," he said. "The attendance, the administration and the fan following has been extraordinary. We've had games that have been extremely competitive."
