FIFA threatens Women’s World Cup broadcast blackout in Europe

Europe’s high soccer nations face a broadcast blackout for this 12 months’s Women’s World Cup until media organisations enhance their “disappointing” presents for the rights, FIFA president Gianni Infantino mentioned.

Offers from “Big Five” European nations — Britain, Spain, Italy, Germany and France — weren’t acceptable to soccer’s world governing physique, and a “slap in the face” of the gamers and “all women worldwide,” Infantino mentioned.

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“To be very clear, it is our moral and legal obligation not to undersell the FIFA Women’s World Cup,” Infantino mentioned at a World Trade Organization assembly in Geneva.

“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.”

The World Cup, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, begins on July 20.

Infantino mentioned broadcasters had provided solely between $1 million and $10m USD for the rights, in contrast with $100m-$200m for rights to the boys’s World Cup.

Women’s World Cup matches shall be held exterior prime time viewing hours for European markets because of the time zone distinction, however Infantino mentioned that was no excuse.

“Maybe … it’s not played on prime time in Europe, but, still, it is played at 9 a.m. or 10 a.m., so it is quite a reasonable time,” he mentioned.

Some 1.12 billion viewers tuned into the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France throughout all platforms, in line with a FIFA audit of the match.