Manchester City are working closely with FIFA to sell Club World Cup television rights to broadcasters despite the club being banned from next summer’s competition for breaching the Premier League’s Fair Play rules.
According to the Telegraph, City chief executive Ferran Soriano has spoken to FIFA about how the club can help promote the tournament and spoke enthusiastically about the Club World Cup during a conference call organised by chairman Gianni Infantino on Friday to present the concept to television operators.
Soriano was the first club representative to speak after Infantino and Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who attended as ECA president. The Spaniard reportedly told those present that City fully supported the Club World Cup and were happy to help promote it.
All 32 qualified clubs are excited about the tournament, although some of the players involved, such as Rodri and Bernardo Silva, have expressed concerns about their health.
FIFA thanked City for their support, as the staging of the new 32-team Club World Cup was complicated from the start by issues relating to venues, sponsorship deals, prize money and television rights.
It is characteristic that none of this has been announced yet, although the start of the event is scheduled for nine months from now.
Soriano’s support is particularly important to FIFA due to his role as CEO of the City Football Group, a global network of 12 clubs.
None of the other clubs in the group have qualified for the tournament, but CFC can provide FIFA with potentially useful information about commercial and broadcast partners in other territories.
Soriano and Infantino have reached out to a global audience with more than 50 TV companies and streaming platforms to sell the Club World Cup. Infantino said FIFA will confirm all match venues (stadiums) by the end of September.
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