Fifa agrees to pay clubs extra £119m to release players for men’s World Cup
GuardianNov 19, 2022
The Facts
On Wednesday, FIFA's governing council announced that the 2030 soccer World Cup will be held in six countries on three continents to mark the tournament's centenary.
The combined bid of Morocco, Portugal, and Spain was unanimously agreed as the sole candidacy to host the event. The centenary celebration ceremony will be held in Montevideo to pay homage to the inaugural World Cup hosted and won by Uruguay in 1930.
The Spin
Narrative A
This innovative and audacious decision is groundbreaking and will appropriately mark the 100th anniversary of the FIFA World Cup by creating a unique hosting agreement to celebrate soccer's rich heritage and global unity. FIFA must be praised for putting forward a visionary arrangement that will prevent a prolonged and costly bidding process.
Narrative B
Given that scandals have long marred FIFA, one can only speculate why the governing body has taken such an illogical decision that adds to its ongoing cycle of destruction against the World Cup. Supporters and players will not only have to travel up to 12K miles and spend a small fortune, this proposal will dampen the atmosphere usually found in single-nation tournaments.