FIFA president Gianni Infantino is desperate to salvage the 32-team Club World Cup expansion just nine months before its kick-off.
According to The Athletic, Infantino organised an emergency meeting for global television executives on Friday to drum up interest in the beleaguered tournament.
A debilitating lack of progress has plagued the revamped tournament. FIFA has not secured broadcasters, venues, training bases, sponsors or participation fees.
Manchester City, Chelsea and Bayern Munich do not know how much financial compensation they will get for competing. Clubs expected over $50 million, but that now looks improbable.
To make matters worse, negotiations with Apple for a global streaming deal collapsed, and FIFA is scrambling for alternative broadcasters.
FIFA’s over-the-top financial expectations clash with the perceived low viewer interest and scheduling conflict with other major summer events.
Broadcasters have expressed concerns about the lack of familiarity with some participating teams.
The absence of Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Barcelona and AC Milan has made them reluctant to pick it up.
The potential involvement of Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami hinges on a yet-to-be-determined MLS Cup winner, while Cristiano Ronaldo’s team Al-Nassr won’t be at the tournament.
In a desperate bid to appease European clubs, Infantino has enlisted the help of Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who is also the European Club Association (ECA) chairman, for Friday’s briefing. FIFA decided to involve the clubs after months of not communicating with them.
Besides broadcasting issues, sponsorship discussions have also hit an impasse. Existing sponsors don’t buy the Club World Cup being branded a new competition, claiming their current World Cup sponsorships already encompass other FIFA tournaments.
Player unions are also huffing and puffing. The PFA, AIC, UNFP and FIFPro have filed legal complaints. They are against the demands being placed upon players with the new format.
Manchester City midfielder Rodri recently claimed that players would consider a strike as pushback against the congested football calendar.
If Man City and Chelsea make it far into the tournament, their top stars could play up to 77 games. Virgil Van Dijk, Kevin De Bruyne, Raphael Varane, John McGinn and Thibaut Courtois have also been vocal in their opposition to this relentless schedule.
Despite these mounting issues, FIFA maintains a facade of progress, refusing comment beyond a spokesperson’s vague promise of ‘further details in due course’.
