FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Tuesday warned of a broadcast blackout of the Women's World Cup in some of the major European markets if broadcasters continue to underquote for media rights.
Speaking alongside World Trade Organization Director-General Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala during a series of panel discussions held at WTO’s headquarters in Geneva, Infantino publicly criticized broadcasters for offering too little to screen the Women's World Cup.
Infantino said, "FIFA had already set an example by increasing the prize money to be shared by the 32 teams at the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 to $152 million, treble the amount paid in 2019."
Infantino intensified a public standoff that started last October with a warning late Monday to five key countries England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain in a statement published less than three months before the tournament starts in Australia and New Zealand.
"To be very clear, it is our moral and legal obligation not to undersell the FIFA Women's World Cup," Infantino said of the tournament that would start on July 20 and continue till August 20.
“The offers from broadcasters, mainly in the 'Big 5' European countries, are still very disappointing and simply not acceptable based on four criteria," Infantino said. "Firstly, 100 pc of any rights fees paid would go straight into women’s football, in our move to promote actions towards equal conditions and pay. Secondly, public broadcasters in particular have a duty to promote and invest in women’s sport. Thirdly, the viewing figures of the FIFA Women’s World Cup are 50-60 pc of the men's FIFA World Cup, yet the broadcasters’ offers in the 'Big 5' European countries for the FIFA Women’s World Cup are 20 to 100 times lower than for the men’s FIFA World Cup,” Infantino said.
“Broadcasters pay $100-200 million for the men’s FIFA World Cup and they offer only $1-10 million for the FIFA Women's World Cup. This is a slap in the face of all the great FIFA Women's World Cup players and indeed of all women worldwide” the FIFA President criticized.
"Therefore, should the offers continue not to be fair (towards women and women's football), we will be forced not to broadcast the FIFA Women's World Cup into the Big 5' European countries," he said.
Infantino first aired the issue seven months ago, when in Auckland for the official draw for the 32-team tournament, saying that offers as low as 1 per cent of the TV rights price paid for the men's World Cup were "not acceptable."
In March, for world soccer's annual meeting held in Rwanda, Infantino reported no progress with TV broadcasters while also announcing a more than three-fold increase in team prize money to $110 million for the tournament.
Infantino has been clearly rankled that player-led criticism of FIFA not offering equal prize money is amplified by media he believes is undervaluing women's soccer. The Women's World Cup now has standalone broadcast and sponsor deals rather than being bundled with the men's tournament.
This women's World Cup is far from an ideal time zone for European broadcasters. Daytime games in Australia and New Zealand play in the early hours of the morning in Europe, though Infantino said that is not an excuse.
Acknowledging it was not primetime in Europe, Infantino noted the European times of 9am or 10am "is quite a reasonable time for viewers.”
It doesn't make any economic sense because the viewing figures are there," he said. One option for soccer's governing body, if broadcast deals cannot be reached in Europe, is to stream games exclusively on its online platform.
(With PTI inputs.)