A rift between Robert Kraft’s New England Patriots and the town of Foxborough, Mass., ramped up on Monday when the Patriots and Kraft Sports Entertainment LLC filed a complaint against the town, accusing it of improperly charging them around $1 million in administrative fees related to a license obtained in order to host the World Cup.The Patriots claim that Foxborough improperly charged them approximately $1 million in new administrative fees when, according to the complaint, the town only has state authorization to charge up to $100 per year to renew stadium entertainment licenses. The town fired back in a statement, arguing that the license issued by the town this year requires Kraft Sports Entertainment “to reimburse the Town for vital public safety” services needed for events at Gillette Stadium.The Patriots, in their complaint, argued that the Foxborough Select Board “imposed these new charges without seeking comment from Foxborough’s residents and without presenting any witnesses or evidence, despite the fact that state law required the Select Board to act in a ‘quasi-judicial’ capacity and afford Plaintiffs due process before adding conditions to the Stadium’s longstanding entertainment license.”Foxborough, a town of around 18,000 residents, is about 45 minutes outside of Boston and has housed the Patriots since 1971. A rift between the town and the team reached a fever pitch in March over disagreements regarding $7.8 million in federal money earmarked for security at World Cup matches. That money was delayed in getting to Foxborough amid a congressional funding freeze. Without the money, the town drew a hard line, threatening to withhold the necessary licensing needed for Gillette Stadium and Kraft Sports Entertainment LLC to host World Cup games in the town.Kraft was the chairman of the body committee that helped bring the World Cup to North America. Gillette Stadium, which Kraft financed and owns, was awarded seven World Cup matches. Kraft stepped in at the last minute, according to the town, to get a deal across the finish line in March by underwriting the $7.8 million owed to the town while awaiting the federal money to arrive. After that, Kraft Sports Entertainment and Gillette Stadium were awarded the necessary licensing to host the World Cup.But now the Patriots are arguing that the licensing has come with unlawful fees.“These new fees are to be in addition to the hundreds of thousands of dollars of improper administrative fees and related levies that Foxborough was previously charging Plaintiffs,” the Patriots’ complaint reads.
Patriots, Robert Kraft file complaint against town of Foxborough over ‘improper’ fees
The complaint alleges that the town improperly charged about $1M in new fees related to a license obtained to host the World Cup.








