A titular tournament, nested with numerous complexities
Gianni Infantino is all gung-ho about his new cash cow, the revamped Club World Cup, set to launch next summer. With FC Bayern and Borussia Dortmund leading the charge, it's set to herald a fresh chapter in global club football, Infantino declared. But there are a few loose ends that need tying up. Issues like who's footing the bill, just seven months before the kick-off in the US, remain unresolved.
Media organizations and TV broadcasters received an invite from Infantino to an "exclusive, private briefing." The New York Times poo-pooed it as a "crisis meeting." It's peculiar, if not downright unusual, that Infantino's pushing rights sales so hard, according to a seasoned rights dealer who attended the so-called "Broadcaster Briefing" recently. Infantino and Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the influential chair of the European Club Association (ECA) and PSG, co-hosted the meeting.
Virtual Summit with Bayern and Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund's CEO, Hans-Joachim Watzke, and Bayern Munich board member, Jan-Christian Dreesen, were among those in the virtual meeting, sources say. The duo represent the German giants who've secured a spot in the June 15 to July 13 tourney. The powers that be are cock-a-hoop about the competition, as it promises extra moolah. Per The Athletic, Europe's elite clubs could rally in more than $50 million each.
To turn this fantasy into a reality, FIFA has to pull in a sizeable revenue, especially from TV rights. The world football governing body reportedly had a $1 billion agreement with Apple to stream the event, but the deal hasn't seen the light of day yet.
Competition from Women's Euro and Gold Cup
In a separate move, FIFA has just issued tenders for the 2025 tournament in the US and 2029 Club World Cup with 32 teams and 63 games each. This means players who've made it with their national teams will be left out of the TV rights sale, just like the broadcasters for Women's Euro (July 2 to 27) and Gold Cup (June 14 to July 6) in participating nations.
Gold Cup or Club World Cup? Whose side will players choose?
This is a thorny issue for players who've qualified with both their national team and club. This poses a particular challenge for players from Mexico's three clubs and the two US clubs.
FIFA faces criticism for favoring the Club World Cup expansion, which could potentially impact top stars by leaving them with no break during summer. FIFA argues against this, claiming that the individual player's workload won't increase.
EU Leagues and Fifpro intend on filing a complaint against FIFA with the EU Commission due to the "Club World Cup scheduling and expansion" that shows "no regard for the mental and physical health of participating players." The EU Commission may take its sweet time to clear up the issue.
What about player transfers during the Club World Cup?
The Club World Cup also throws up a unique legal challenge for FIFA. Around mid-tournament, there could be players whose contracts with participating clubs expire, or players who move clubs on July 1st. Bayern's Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller, and Joshua Kimmich, along with Manchester City's star performers, Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gündogan, are impacted.
The clubs have a tricky situation on their hands. The future of these stars is likely to be resolved well ahead of time. FIFA's stepping up to make sure affected clubs have options and to avoid any potential miscommunications.
Top clubs ought to set up a unanimous agreement
A stipulation: Players can only represent one club during the Club World Cup. They can't play for Club X until June 30th and then for Club Y until July 13th. For the period between June 1st and 10th, there'll be a transfer window, where players who've been signed can register with their new club earlier than usual, with the approval of respective member associations. Packing a punch from June 27th to July 3rd, there'll be a window to replace players whose contracts expire during the tournament. FIFA's called on participating clubs and players to strike a just deal for expiring contracts to facilitate the participation of professionals.
Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, the German giants who've secured a spot in the Club World Cup, were present at the virtual meeting to discuss the competition. The revamped Club World Cup, set to feature Borussia Dortmund and other top clubs, is anticipated to bring in extra revenue for participating teams.
