Tottenham Hotspur could become the first English team to play a friendly match in India after holding discussions about a game against Kingfisher East Bengal on May 18, a week after the Barclays Premier League season ends. The North London club are also considering another friendly in the region and have confirmed that they will play in a pre-season tournament in the Netherlands.

Tottenham's financial demands of about £650,000 are proving to be a stumbling block to the match in India, however. Amit Sen, the East Bengal director, said that United Breweries, the club sponsor, is interested but needs to be persuaded of its worth. He added that a club such as Tottenham would ordinarily be paid about half that sum to play an exhibition match in South-East Asia. “Money is not a factor for them, but they also can't accept any unjustified demands,” Sen said. “The English club will start their summer tour with China, but they felt India is a potential market for them and want to explore it.”

Representatives of Tottenham appear to have approached India about a game, but the national coach believed that it would be embarrassing to lose such a match. East Bengal finished in mid-table in the inaugural I-League, India's first professional league, and are playing in the Asian Football Confederation Cup. They hope to strengthen their team with other I-League players for the proposed match against Tottenham, at the Salt Lake Stadium in Calcutta.

East Bengal have an agreement at youth level with Leicester City, the Coca-Cola Championship club, and are owned by Vijay Mallya, who also co-owns the Force India Formula One team. Tottenham declined to comment on their plans for the summer friendly matches but have confirmed that they will play in the Feyenoord Jubileum tournament, celebrating the Dutch club's centenary, in Rotterdam, starting on August 1. Celtic and Borussia Dortmund will also compete.