FIFA has threatened to not broadcast this summer’s Women’s World Cup in some European countries due to “disappointing” offers for television rights.
The month-long tournament is being held in Australia and New Zealand and starts on July 20.
However, FIFA president Gianni Infantino is unhappy with the offers that have been received from Britain, Spain, Italy, Germany, and France to broadcast the tournament, describing them as a “slap in the face” of the players participating and “all women worldwide.”
Speaking at a World Trade Organisation meeting in Geneva, he said: “To be very clear, it is our moral and legal obligation not to undersell the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“Therefore, should the offers continue not to be fair, we will be forced not to broadcast the FIFA Women’s World Cup into the ‘big five’ European countries.”
Infantino fired his warning after claiming that the offers made were significantly lower than those received for the last men’s World Cup.
Infantino said that broadcasters from the ‘big five’ European countries had only offered £800,000 — £8million ($1m-$10m) for the Women’s World Cup, a notable decrease when compared with the £80m-£160m ($100m-$200m) that was offered for the rights to the men’s World Cup.
This women’s…
