FIFA issued a strong warning to European broadcasters of the Women’s World Cup to be held in Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to August 20.
The organization’s president, Gianni Infantino, has threatened to “not broadcast” the tournament in Britain, Germany, Spain, Italy and France if broadcasters’ bids remain too low.
Photo: Internet socket“To be perfectly clear, we regard our refusal to sell the Women’s World Cup as a moral and legal obligation.” declared the manager.
According to Infantino, the proposals from European broadcasters for the Women’s World Cup are “unacceptable” and are “20 to 100 times lower than those received for the World Cup.” Although FIFA has already signed with American, Canadian or Brazilian broadcasters, negotiations in Europe have not materialized due to the time difference, which has made the process difficult.
“Consequently, if broadcasters continue to be unfair to the Women’s World Cup and women, we will be forced not to broadcast the Women’s World Cup in these five major European countries,” Infantino threatened.
The leader recalled that broadcasters pay between “100 and 200 million dollars” for the men’s World Cup, but they are only willing to offer “1 to 10 million dollars for the women’s World Cup”, despite the fact that their audiences represent “around 50 to 60%» of the men’s tournament.
In relation to the time difference, the FIFA president stated that it should not be a problem, since the matches will take place “at 9 or 10 in the morning, which is still very reasonable” for viewers, despite the fact that “they will not be broadcast in prime time in Europe”.