Infantino calls urgent broadcaster meeting about Club World Cup
FIFA president Gianni Infantino is reportedly organizing an emergency meeting regarding broadcasting rights for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. According to The Athletic, the briefing is set to take place on Friday and will include several top television executives.
The situation is getting tense because the competition is now less than nine months away. At the moment, FIFA has not announced venues, training bases, or broadcasting partners for the 2025 Club World Cup. Official sponsorships are also not yet known.
The governing body has had a difficult time attracting suitable offers for the tournament. FIFA has been looking for around $4 billion from a broadcaster to handle both the 2025 and 2029 tournaments. Nevertheless, no media company has submitted a bid anywhere close to this particular figure.
Apple was previously the frontrunner to broadcast the competitions. The massive American company, however, only bid as high as $1 billion. While still a substantial fee, it was only a quarter of the value that the governing body was seeking. As a result of the financial gap, the two sides walked away from negotiations earlier this summer.
FIFA has not received major offers despite opening bidding process
Due to the failed Apple agreement, FIFA officially opened the tender process for broadcasting rights to the Club World Cup. Regions that were initially up for grabs included the Americas, Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. Nevertheless, a deadline for bids in these areas has since passed without any news of a deal.
The governing body then recently began a similar process for other global regions. This particular deadline was previously Sep. 24. However, the news regarding an official emergency meeting suggests that FIFA is still not receiving serious offers for the Club World Cup.
Infantino personally getting involved in the situation also shows how desperate the organization is getting. Without a major deal in place, the tournament may find it difficult to pay participating clubs substantial funds. FIFA has already asked these clubs if they would accept lower fees to play at the tournament.
The Athletic also reports that teams still do not know how much prize money is at stake next summer. Europe’s most elite clubs have anticipated receiving a minimum of $50 million. Nevertheless, it remains unclear how FIFA will end up affording these fees.
Broadcaster options aware of low interest in Club World Cup
The main issue for broadcasters is undoubtedly a perceived lack of interest in the Club World Cup. The tournament is not exactly extremely popular among soccer fans across the globe. There are also concerns with several top clubs not featuring in the competition. For instance, Arsenal, Barcelona, Liverpool, and Manchester United will not play at the 2025 Club World Cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr is missing the competition as well. The Portuguese superstar is arguably the most popular soccer player on the planet. Lionel Messi may not feature in the tournament as well. Inter Miami could, however, still earn a place as MLS Cup champions.
Along with a low interest in the Club World Cup, FIFA officials are also facing legal issues because of the expanded tournament. Officials increased the competition from seven teams to 32. As a result, participating teams now have to play significantly more matches.
This move has not gone down well with players, coaches, and fans. FIFPro, the global soccer players union, even started legal action against FIFA in June. The organization currently represents around 65,000 professional players around the world. Since then, several top players have criticized FIFA’s move to increase an already packed schedule.
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