The 49ers win at Wembley as NFL comes to town

English gridiron fans were treated to the thrills and spills of the NFL on Sunday as American football made its annual visit to London and the San Francisco 49ers beat the Denver Broncos 24-16 at Wembley Stadium.

As usual all the razzmatazz and glitz and glamour of the American game arrived in north west London along with the two teams.

Jeff Beck serenaded the crowd with a Hendrix-esque rendition of God Save the Queen before the game kicked off, and the crowd was whipped into a frenzy by the stadium announcer and the efforts of the cheerleaders.

The game itself was dull in comparison to the off-field antics. Just three points were scored in the first half before a precision pass from the Broncos' Kyle Orton found Brandon Lloyd midway through the third quarter to bring things to life.

The Broncos then extended their lead to 10-3, much to the chagrin of the 49ers fans who were making plenty of 'Niner Noise' as instructed by the MC. And the partizan crowd may have played its part as San Francisco mounted a stirring fourth quarter comeback, which saw them notch 21 points to win 24-16.

Though the game was a largely torpid affair, the fraught dying minutes were a timely reminder of how enjoyable a spectacle the NFL can be.

There are fears, however, that Sunday's game could be the last London sees of the NFL for a while. The league's Collective Bargaining Agreement – the labour contract between players and owners – is set to expire in March. With neither side giving up any ground in negotiations over money and players' pay, there is a chance that the NFL may not have a season at all in 2011.

The owners are unhappy that 60 per cent of league revenues are being spent on player salaries, which is comparable to the situation in the Premier League.

 
But the players will not budge on a reduction in salaries until they see full details of the teams' finances.

The power, however, is with the owners as television deals they have already signed for 2011 reportedly guarantee them almost £2.5bn even if the season doesn't go ahead.

 
They have until February 2011 to come to an agreement but it is an embarrassing scenario for the NFL to be embroiled in whilst trying to increase its international profile.

NFL Players' Association spokesman, George Atallah, said the players were prepared for the 2011 season to be cancelled. "It is evident to us that [the owners] have been preparing themselves."

"If the NFL and the players believe in international expansion, then a lock-out becomes the worst possible thing that can happen towards that goal," he said. ·