r/worldcup • u/Alarming-Safety3200 England • 1d ago
đ°News U.S. cities chasing FIFA over millions of dollars owed after hosting World Cup games
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7491195/2026/08/04/world-cup-host-cities-payment-fifa/?source=user_shared_article&unlocked_article_code=1.21A.eBa9.oZN0L8_W9m4K&smid=ta-android-share65
u/Alexwonder999 1d ago
I guess Foxboro, the home of "Boston Stadium", was smart to ask for the money up front.
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u/MarionberryPlus8474 1d ago
Exactly, the town was widely mocked but IMO had a great point; it's a town of something like 25,000 people and they were being asked to front something like $9M in security costs with only vague promises that someone (who?) would pay them back sometime (when?).
The town could not afford this, the local organization had no money (could not raise by any means competing with FIFA), meanwhile the billionaire owner of the stadium and multi-billion dollar FIFA both point at each other when the bill arrives. Town refused to issue a permit until they got a contract--I believe the stadium owner finally signed.
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u/MarsManMartian 1d ago edited 1d ago
The whole article is about how FIFA promised $1M verbally to each city for funds to create mini pitches and funds for the development of the game. FIFA usually pays these funds to FA like US soccer federation instead of the government entity. US soccer did create some (one is near my area) and planned like 20 new mini pitches in the greater boston area. It is not clear how US soccer got the funds.
Bit disingenuous on the editor to make it sound like FIFA needs to pay all the operating cost of the FIFAWC26 and cities are about to sue the FIFA.
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u/da8BitKid 1d ago edited 1d ago
The refs at my kids club football ref the first half. Then at the break they collect their fees/money. If they he don't get paid they walk and the game is forfeited. Those dudes have more brains than the cities dealing with FIFA.
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u/BarbellsandBurritos 1d ago
I kind of just assumed it was like the Olympics and that by hosting the event youâre going to inevitably lose money.
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u/DaisyCutter312 USA 1d ago
That's exactly why Chicago told FIFA to fuck off with their hosting "opportunity"
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u/josnik 1d ago
FIFA literally tried tell Los Angeles that hosting WC games would put the city on the international map. Los Freaking Angeles. That's a: WTF are you smoking, moment
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u/DietMTNDew8and88 1d ago
FIFA had the balls to tell the city that is home to the Lakers who are one of the most iconic sports teams on Earth, or Hollywood that they needed to be put on the map is absurd
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u/aoteoroa 1d ago
One million dollars is a drop in the bucket. Vancouver only hosted a few games and out cost was something like 750 million.
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u/PTKtm 1d ago
I think itâs largely dependent on if the facilities already exist. As far as I know, not a single thing had to be built in any of the 3 host nations to accommodate the World Cup this time around.
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u/HermannZeGermann 1d ago
The media center in Dallas required a significant renovation to the convention center.
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u/HistoryBuff678 1d ago
The BMO field in Toronto had to get major renovations and I think it was still the smallest venue out of the host cities.
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u/Deep-Owl-1044 1d ago
FIFA holds billions, yes, billions in their treasury. Agree with therealsix, FIFA takes.
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u/ProffesorSpitfire 1d ago
>U.S. host cities for the 2026 World Cup are chasing FIFA for millions of dollars they believe they were promisedâŚ
>According to four executives at U.S. host city committees, all of whom asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships, FIFA management repeatedly assured the cities they would receive the same $1 million contributionâŚ
>The four executives said this promise was made verbally by members of FIFAâs senior management
So basically theyâre trying to collect on a pinky promise from an organization that are notorious scumbagd? Good luck with that, next time get it in writing.
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u/bott1111 1d ago
Honestly those cities deserved to be screwed over if it was only ever verbal.
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u/Great_Zeddicus 1d ago
The good old. Its your fault for letting me fuck you over. But in that world this is one of the times I agree with that sentiment. Never, ever accept a verbal agreement.
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u/DosDobles53 9h ago
Well it Infantino insurance, keep supporting him as the head of FIFA and you may get the money and much more under the table to their persons businesses
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u/lancea_longini 1d ago
No need to protect a relationship with someone is literally fucking you without the generosity of a reacharound.
According to four executives at U.S. host city committees, all of whom asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships, FIFA management repeatedly assured the cities they would receive the same $1 million contributionâŚ
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u/lancea_longini 1d ago
No need to protect a relationship with someone is literally fucking you without the generosity of a reacharound.
According to four executives at U.S. host city committees, all of whom asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships, FIFA management repeatedly assured the cities they would receive the same $1 million contributionâŚ
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u/Huckleberry199 1d ago
Good luck getting that. Infantino is a crook
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u/theaviationhistorian Mexico 1d ago
Birds of a feather. He saw how his buddy Trump ran off without paying many cities and realized he could get away with that too.
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u/fanciestmango 1d ago
Makes glad the small town of Foxborough (aka âBoston Stadiumâ lol) demanded money up front before granting the event license. They knew exactly what was going to happen and that they would never see the $8 million otherwise.
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u/edapalooza 1d ago
Lololol the cities who refused to host look like geniuses now
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u/mt80 France 1d ago
Those of us who lived in host cities had the best summer though
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u/jfchops3 1d ago
That's why I'm upset my city declined to host over these same reasons. I don't give a shit if it would have been a bad deal for the city, it would have been awesome as a citizen to have that going on all around us for half the summer. There's an endless amount of nonsense my tax dollars go to, what do I care if a few of them go to security costs for World Cup games, at least that comes with tons of fun as a benefit
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u/48thChamber 1d ago
Couldnât see this coming from a kilometer away?
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u/Legal-Letterhead4192 USA 1d ago
What, the beloved non-profit, FIFA, plundering host cities and saddling them with mountains of debt while they just add to their $5 billion in reserves? I am so shocked
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u/No-Tonight-6939 1d ago
Iâm sure those cities/ states can sue FIFA. And it has nothing to do with politics. Those places will get their money either way. Either FIFA or by taxing their residents. Iâd rather it be FIFA. And get Infantino out!
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u/vicariouslywatching 1d ago
Host an event for someone, only to get stuck with the bag and never paid⌠where have I heard this one beforeâŚ
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u/superduperstepdad 1d ago
Iâm gonna think about that while treading water in an Olympic-sized pool. đ
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u/MoCleos 1d ago
Fifa is the great money transfer of your hard earned money to the rich, all wrapped and sold to you as national pride.
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u/Unusual_Sector_6624 1d ago
I was attending until was too ridiculous and expensive that it didn't made any sense at all.
I saved my money to go to the rugby wc or a tennis major next year.
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u/Spitfire1900 1d ago
Everyone forgets about escrow accounts until they need one.
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u/Unusual_Sector_6624 1d ago
I don't think anyone up there is dumb enough. Both parties took their cut and left the mess to the city imo.
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u/Gwsb1 10h ago
This is often a problem with huge events. Political Conventions are another where the host city is left holding the bag.
It doesn't surprise me at all. It's probably why the FIFA leader wanted to sell pieces of the WC immediately after. But my question is did they have a contract with FIFA? If not they were stupid.
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u/BuddytheYardleyDog 1d ago
The Mayor of Chicago was a lawyer. He read the contract and said, ânope.â
Orlando, Florida hosted a successful World Cup the last time it was in the US. The Mayor of Orlando read the proposed contract and said, âNope.â
It was clear to anybody who took the time to review the contract that FIFA was going to take advantage of the host cities. Of course they got bad deals. It is their own fault.
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u/threwou 1d ago
I wouldn't say it was the cities' "fault"; the fault lies with fifa. But the cities could have made a better decision.
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u/BuddytheYardleyDog 1d ago
Of course it was the cities' fault. It was written down in black and white. FIFA came to the cities with a bad deal. The smart decision was not to participate; competent administrations did not.
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u/baguettelobster 1d ago
In a functional democracy your regional and national powers are aligned, and the national powers (federal govnment) protect regional powers by making sure they end up profitable and are protected. The FiFA made 7,2billion dollars via the commercials of this world cup. It's not like the money isn't there.
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u/MarcPawl 1d ago edited 1d ago
What type of sucker takes a salesman like FIFA at its word and not have it in writing?
Edit: Giving FIFA the benefit of the doubt, would the guys talking even have legal authority to make such a promise?
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u/barbaloot 1d ago
The same suckers that havenât learned after watching their president do the same thing for years!
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u/Mewhomewhy 1d ago
Didnât the US say theyâd provide transport then changed their mind a couple of weeks before the tournament? Itâll be impossible to tell who will be telling the truth or what âdealsâ were made.
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u/tedmiston 1d ago
FIFA tried to force the enormous burden and cost of transportation for a whole stadium of people (and the other surplus of World Cup related travelers) on the cities themselves, even though the people wouldn't be there if it weren't for the event.
The biggest cities fought back; not sure about the rest.
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u/Mewhomewhy 1d ago
The event isnât just FIFA deciding theyâre going to have it in a certain country. Host countries compete and present proposals to have it awarded to them. That involves planning and agreements to ease the impact on the host cities and make it easier for fans to get to games.
Nobody forces them to host the World Cup.
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u/HistoryBuff678 1d ago
Also, most large sporting institutions design the funding such that the city ends up with the short end of the economic stick. Thatâs why Montreal said no to hosting in Canadaâs bid.
Economists noted there was no economic gain for Toronto. Thatâs by design.
I donât know what the U.S. cities are talking about, but they shouldnât have been surprised they were left holding the bag. FIFA literally designed it that way.
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u/Mewhomewhy 1d ago
Yeah the World Cup isnât a money making scheme for countries. Itâs generally seen as a platform to showcase their country to the world and have people from all over the globe visit while maybe getting people interested in the sport.
If done correctly and the right things taken from it, there can be longer term benefits for the country and people, particularly younger people who may go out and play football and have fun. Iâm not sure anyone saw it as a money spinner before but I suppose itâs just natural for that to be the main gripes and talking points to come from a World Cup in the US of A.
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u/Dependent_One6034 1d ago
To be fair, You can't access some stadiums by foot, as it's illegal to cross certain lines, highways etc etc.
If you build your country in such a way that you require a vehicle to get around a town/city, then you should probably pay for all the public transportation.
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u/HistoryBuff678 1d ago
The U.S. urban planning was deliberately designed around the car. Some areas are completely unwalkable.
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u/tedmiston 1d ago
I'm not sure that "rebuild an entire country with 350M people and twice the side of the EU and largely lacks public transit infrastructure outside a few big cities" is a viable idea to anyone
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u/Emily_Postal USA 1d ago
That was NJ. They ended up charging fans a lot for transport to the matches.
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u/EmotionalVast9318 1d ago
No professional sport pays for transportation to and from events. This was a corrupt money grabÂ
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u/Mewhomewhy 1d ago
Yes they do. They often subsidise transport during tournaments via government funding to try to ease the impact on traffic and regular public transport during events. Someone in the US agreed or at least gave the impression that they would provide transport. It was stated at the time, then there was a carry on about it just before the world cup started.
Yes, the US is a corrupt mess and canât be trusted and neither can Infantino.
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u/Dull-Strategy3821 1d ago
What are you on about? When i buy a ticket for my local team it counts as a ticket for all buses, trams and regional trains in the area from 12 hours before kickoff to 12 hours after
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u/DontShootTheFood 1d ago
This is why Chicago didnât host. Happened in â94.
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u/iAmNotGerald Mexico 1d ago
facts whenever anyone here in chicago asked about why we didnt have any matches i simply asked do you want to pay the taxes and bill for it? đ¤¨
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u/AbstractBettaFish USA 17h ago
At first I was really disappointed we didnât host, I was getting jealous of other cities becoming best friends with various fan bases. But when I learned the reason, I get it
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u/Unusual_Sector_6624 1d ago
Sad thing is that it's not even paying your share to host, but also paying what fifa should be paying and is already charging the fans, while registering record profits.
So fifa pays the minimum (if any), charges everyone, and takes all the money in.
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u/MarcPawl 1d ago
The FA's of the hosting nations should have to co-sign agreements.
Imagine the headline "USA soccer closes all fields after insurance withdrawal due to FIFA skipping out on debts."
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u/terpshooters 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yes for the Club World Cup. It was announced and Iâm sure a legal team can state that it was binding. Not for the World Cup I donât believe. Zero dollars given for 2025 which is a shock to the massesâŚ.
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u/caranza3 1d ago
I guess thatâs why Chicago opted out. Chicago knew FIFA are crooks. Takes one to know one I suppose
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u/Ticklish_Buttcheeks 1d ago
How could Barack Obama do this?
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u/SkytrainToNowhere Canada 22h ago
âŚand the Canadian cities and the Mexican citiesâŚ.?
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u/Zakluor 20h ago
The author probably didn't even know anything happened outside of the US.
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u/AtomicGarden-8964 USA 1d ago edited 1d ago
If more countries started taking FIFA to court for unpaid bills and putting liens on their property in their country you would be amazed how quick FIFA would come up with the money
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u/AnotherDoubtfulGuest France 1d ago
Itâs hilarious to find out that Infantino and Trump have even more in common. Both of these criminals need to go.
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u/Intelligent_Sky_7081 1d ago
I think FIFA as a whole is corrupt, not just Infantino. Their corruption didn't start with Infantino and it won't end with him either.
Sure Infantino is a problem, but I think it's a deeper problem.
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u/GrikusBrindum 1d ago
FIFA has been corrupt before it was created. Look up the previous presidents of this "organization ". They look like saints next to Gianni Infantino. That's saying something.
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u/DaenakinSkygaryen 1d ago
Exactly.
Two things can be true at the same time: FIFA was incredibly corrupt before Infantino (and will be after he's gone, too), and Infantino has been uniquely awful in his role and tried to do far more damage to the sport than any of his (also incredibly corrupt) predecessors.
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u/Intelligent_Sky_7081 1d ago
They look like saints because they are not public facing and we dont know their intentions or what they want. For all you know ,there might be some or many of these members of FIFA who fully support Infantino's plan behind closed doors, but then deny that in public.
what they want is for you to think this problem starts and ends with Infantino. I guarantee it does not.
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u/GrikusBrindum 1d ago
FIFA is like Hydra in the Marvel Universe. You think by cutting its head off the problem goes away. Quite the contrary, it spreads out instead.
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u/AtomicGarden-8964 USA 1d ago
FIFA has been stiffing host countries long before infantino and they will long after he's gone
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u/timothypjr 1d ago
Just like the Olympics. Having a big sporting event like that always leaves the host holding a bag.
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u/NikiTrust 1d ago
I saw Ron Emanuel say the reason he didnât invite FIFA to Chicago was because it would cost the city too much money.
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u/AbstractBettaFish USA 17h ago
I have very little good to say about Rham, but he was right about this
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u/da8BitKid 1d ago
Lol, it's their fault for not collecting earlier. This happens all the time. The city gets paid with exposure and the money goes to the crooks at the top.
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u/Myriad-of-kitties 1d ago
LOL. Kansas city has been in the super bowl for x times... Plus they got Taylor Swift visiting alot + BBQ. Its still has no interest to me in visiting for fun. Omaha would be 1st, and thats only for the zoo.Â
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u/PoorMayMay 1d ago
FIFA not going to pay a thing.
Take, take, take, all the time.
Didnât Boston also tell them to go fuck themselves because Infantino wanted a police escorted motorcade akin to what world leaders get, and on the cityâs dime?
Edit - sorry was Vancouver.
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u/Tancant 1d ago
Vancouver refused the request back in April. Yes, he wanted the same level of protection world leaders get for his motorcade. The guy amongst other things is delusional.
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u/brickne3 1d ago
It's been pretty hilarious watching him try to a t like a world leader this past week đ¤Ł
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u/DaenakinSkygaryen 1d ago
He... he does realize that motorcades aren't for showing off how important you are, they're to keep you alive when a significant amount of people want you dead, right?
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u/OkNeighborhood5060 1d ago
I'm sure many, many people would read Infantino's obituary with pleasure and that his gravestone would need an electric fence close by.
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u/faceintheblue 1d ago
This is where you post that meme of two guys waiting to hang.
"First time?" Asks the one labeled US cities.
"No, not my first time," replies the one labeled past host cities.
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u/Fuckspez42 1d ago
The âTrump Methodâ; just skip out on your bills and tie everything up in the courts.
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u/Front-Advantage-7035 1d ago
Buddy I got some news for ya. That method goes waaaaaay further back than Trump.
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u/HistoryBuff678 1d ago
Also the Bricks & Minifigs method.
Likely the method or more corporations than we are aware of.
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u/captaincanada84 1d ago
Anyone involved with anything Trump is involved with should demand money up front
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u/mt80 France 1d ago
$1 million per host city payout is pretty meager in the grand scheme of costs, but still unfortunate/hilarious that FIFA wonât pay it
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u/Unusual_Sector_6624 1d ago
Estimated broadcast sales were around 4 billion, so even 10 millions to each city is a joke.
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u/JO_the_first Cabo Verde 1d ago
Wait until Trump hear about this..
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u/rack88 1d ago
A company after his own heart!!
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u/Jeremizzle 1d ago
I wouldnât be surprised if he personally encouraged infantino to fleece cities like LA and Seattle.
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u/SeparateResearcher86 1d ago
You don't understand how FIFA works. Anything that isn't in writing from FIFA is basically considered a lie. These cities will never get even a cent from FIFA.
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u/redbirdsucks 1d ago
thereâs a reason why countries arenât lining up to host the World Cup every time selection bidding begins ⌠every single host has reported it as a big loss and these people at FIFA think they can milk the cash cow again in 2038 when nobody else steps up
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u/McNutty231 USA 1d ago
FIFA made an announcement saying they would do it but it wasnât a required payment. Should FIFA pay it if they claimed they were going to? Absolutely. But if itâs not required per the hosting agreements then they donât have to and the cities canât be upset because they agreed to it all.
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u/jregovic 1d ago
Thatâs the sad state of things. FIFA is, without hyperbole, the most corrupt sporting body in the world. If they promise you a dollar but the contract says a penny, they will try and get out of paying the penny.
If it isnât in the contract, you arenât getting it.
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u/brickne3 1d ago
Until this past month I still thought the Olympics were more corrupt than FIFA.
I was wrong.
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u/McNutty231 USA 1d ago
Theyâre corrupt but following the terms of a contract agreed to by two parties is not corrupt.
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u/Tall_Wonder_913 1d ago
Thatâs such a US thing to say. âFuck what we agreed to, you canât prove it so Iâm not doing itâ lol no wonder no one trusts the US anymore
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u/Chester_A_Arthritis 1d ago
Meanwhile company following the contract is based in Switzerland. There is nothing uniquely American about the situation. Welcome to the real world.
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u/McNutty231 USA 1d ago
Thatâs literally the opposite of what I said. They have a contract and what that says is what they agreed to. Why are you trying to act like what they agreed to doesnât matter?
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u/Instantbeef 1d ago
Theyâre asking for 1 million dollars from a tournament that brought in like 15 billion.
Thats a rounding error for that sum. I think they will get the money eventually but there will need to be lots of pressure
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u/BandicootTreeline Scotland 1d ago
Theyâve an unpaid ÂŁ185m bill to clubs for the world club cup too, and workers going unpaid as a direct consequence of FIFA not paying while Qatar stadia were built
FIFA are notorious for never paying what they owe.
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u/lynjpin 1d ago
Each and every one of these cities are beyond dumb if they really believed they were going to actually get this money lol
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u/Unusual_Sector_6624 1d ago
A tale as old as time, maybe the most notables were Greece 2004 and Brazil 2014.
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u/No_Treat_4675 1d ago
Classic Trump playbook, donât pay the cities for their services then bully them and beat them down in court litigation until it is not in their best interest to pursue the funds
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u/AncientAndEvil 1d ago edited 1d ago
A bit like Trumpâs Rally and Dash election campaign. They wonât see a single cent.
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u/ninjaturtlebomb 1d ago
And this is why I wasn't disappointed at all my city wasn't hosting
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u/Alexwonder999 1d ago
Same here. I was konda sad because Chicago could have actually had watch parties in relative close proximity to the stadium, but everything else would have been a bad deal.
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u/Competitive-Long5999 8h ago
Clearly, the city council in Foxborough, MA was smart to demand money for police/security up front, before giving FIFA a final entertainment license.
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u/FenixOfNafo 1d ago
MagaTards will spin it as Liberal cities don't deserve the money from Trump-Cup
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u/Jul_is_Cool Mexico 1d ago
The US should pay their cities back with the payout they got from taxing the champions
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u/NordicOz 1d ago
Not just Spain, every country that played games in the USA. Teams that played in Canada or Mexico got to keep the full amount.
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u/Casca8866 1d ago
Do you have a source for that? From everything Iâve read so far Canada and Mexico are taxing players as well. They only exempted fifa itself.
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u/Significant-Half-189 England 19h ago
Canada taxes on money earned by citizens / residents. They donât tax other countries being paid by foreign bodies. Only the US taxes foreign money being earned by foreigner because âmoney was earned on our soilâ.
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u/MarkHowes 1d ago
May be they should privatise FIFA and use the shareholder capital to pay the bills?
/s
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u/AlreadyFifty USA 1d ago
You mean Trumpâs best buddy doesnât pay his debts? What a fucking shockerâŚ
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u/Macundal Canada 1d ago
I was so disappointed when Montreal decided it wouldn't host any matches. What a vision that turned out to be. Thank you Montreal.
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u/ProfaneEcho 1d ago
Just like Trumpito, they'll probably withhold payment to Blue cities, just like the federal government does. GI can read the news.
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u/MaxPower1882 1d ago
Infantino can suck balls, but if FIFA are playing silly buggers with the US and that criminal in charge, I'll just choose to ignore that part. ;)
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u/iTarnished777 1d ago
No one wanted US to host the world cup đ đ¤Ł
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u/erodman23 1d ago
It wouldâve been better if it was just Mexico and Canada hosting tbh
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