Low financial incentives and lack of broadcast partner plaguing FIFA Club World Cup

Clubs are “pushing back against lower financial incentives and an ongoing struggle to find a broadcaster” for FIFA’s new Club World Cup, according to sources cited by Hellier & Turner of BLOOMBERG NEWS. FIFA was in talks with Apple for worldwide television rights earlier this year, which would “help pay fees to participating teams.” But sources said that the discussions “have stalled,” with FIFA “now considering selling the rights to the tournament to regional broadcasters.” The N.Y. Times reported that the value of the Apple deal might be about $1B, a quarter of the value FIFA was initially targeting. According to sources, since then, some clubs “have been contacted by FIFA to assess whether they would play for a lower fee than previously hoped.” According to FIFA, 29 of the 32 spots available for the tournament have “now been filled,” with some of the biggest teams in Europe such as Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid, German Bundesliga club Bayern Munich, French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain FC and Premier League club Manchester City. The tournament has also been criticized by the player unions, who say that it “will put the world’s elite footballers under too much physical strain” (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 6/20).