The boss of FIFA, Gianni Infantinosaid this Friday that the Women’s World Cup It generated more than $570 million in revenue and allowed soccer’s world governing body to break even, despite a tenfold increase in prize money compared to the 2015 edition.
The Swiss said the ninth edition of the World Cup had been “the best and the biggest”, and claimed responsibility for the decision to collect prize money and expand the field from 24 to 32 teams. “Some voices were raised, ‘Will it be worth it?’ ‘We don’t generate enough revenue’, ‘we will have to subsidize’… And our opinion was, well, if we have to subsidize, we will subsidize, but it has to be done,” she told the FIFA Women’s Football Convention.
“But actually, this World Cup generated more than $570 million in revenue, so we didn’t lose any money. We didn’t lose any money and generated the second highest revenue of any sport and of course the World Cup. The world of men, at a world-class price”.
That was one of several comparisons to men’s soccer in Infantino’s speech. The $440 million prize pool for the men’s World Cup in Qatar is still bigger than the $152 million shared by the women in Australia and New Zealand.
Encourage women to keep fighting
“I tell all women that you have the power to change. Pick the right battles. Pick the right battles,” Infantino said. “Just keep pushing, keep up the momentum, keep dreaming and let’s really go for full equality. Not just World Cup pay equality, which is a slogan that comes up from time to time.” “We are already going in the direction of equal pay in the World Cup. But that would not solve anything because it is once every four years and there are few players compared to the thousands and thousands that there are.”
Infantino also criticized those who questioned the selection of Australia and New Zealand as hosts. “I remember when we decided to do that, of course the usual critics, who gradually, said it wouldn’t work and that the level was too different between the teams,” he said.
“They said 15-0 scores would be awarded and that would be bad for women’s football and its image. Sorry, but FIFA is right. As has often been the case in recent years, FIFA is right. Again “.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
