Will the “huge success” fail?
Infantino’s mega-project has plenty of problems
September 24, 2024, 3:29 p.m
FIFA is raving, the professionals are complaining – and a lot is uncertain: the new Club World Cup is proving to be a big unknown nine months before it starts. After all, it should now be clear where the games will actually be played.
Gianni Infantino is once again tirelessly pushing the advertising drum. Regardless of all the question marks, the FIFA boss has been touting his billion-dollar but still extremely nebulous prestige project “as a huge success” for months – and has already won many advocates in the process. The new Club World Cup, BVB managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke recently emphasized, is “guaranteed to go through the roof”.
However, the enthusiasm does not hide the fact that nine months before the start of the tournament, it is a big unknown with plenty of potential for conflict. A number of fundamental questions remain unanswered: Where does the game even take place? Where do the millions that were promised to the clubs come from – such as the alleged around $100 million for the winner? And can the complaints of many professionals, including the threat of a strike, be ignored?
In any case, the problems are piling up, all that is clear so far is that the new Club World Cup will in future be held with 32 teams from Africa, Asia, Europe, America and Oceania, including Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. The premiere will take place from June 15 to July 13, 2025 in the USA. FIFA unveiled a logo and presented “Freed from Desire” as the official song. So far so good.
The allocation of TV rights is stalling
Otherwise, much is uncertain. The allocation of broadcasting rights, which usually brings huge sums into the coffers, is stalling. According to English media reports, Infantino recently even presented the advantages of the competition to potential TV broadcasters after a deal with Apple TV was said to have fallen through. Little is known about sponsors either. According to the SportingIntelligence platform, Saudi Arabia, designated host of the 2034 World Cup, could step in as a donor under certain conditions. FIFA said no details could be given regarding sponsors and broadcast rights due to trade secrets. “Several pieces of information” would be released “in due course.”
After all: According to the Guardian, eight venues could be presented this week. The choice fell on Pasadena, Seattle, Atlanta, Orlando, Miami, Philadelphia and two stadiums in New Jersey. The fact that, in addition to crowd pullers like FC Bayern or Real Madrid, there are also clubs like Auckland City and Al-Hilal, which means there is a risk of empty stands in stadiums that are too large, it made the search for suitable arenas more difficult. Especially since the Gold Cup is taking place on the US West Coast at the same time.
Watzke is still enthusiastic
However, FIFA faces a possibly even bigger problem with those who are supposed to inspire the masses. The dispute between the players’ union FIFPro and the leagues with the world association has long since escalated. There is talk of an “oversaturated schedule” that poses a “risk to the health of the players”. That’s why the representatives of the leagues and professionals are now using legal means to fight against the Club World Cup. In some places people are even toying with a strike.
But the supporters are (still) staying cool. Watzke emphasized that the competition was “evident” and “simply made sense” – in line with Infantino’s wishes. The Swiss sees the inflated Club World Cup as an “important development” for the sport and a tournament that will change the game and have a “fixed place in the football calendar” in the coming years. But there is still a lot of work to be done until then.
