Infantino blasts 'unacceptable' bids for Women's World Cup TV rights

Gianni Infantino says FIFA will be "forced not to broadcast" this summer's Women’s World Cup in the 'big five’ European countries if bidding outlets do not improve on "disappointing" and "unacceptable" offers.

The tournament begins on 20 July, with the Republic of Ireland facing co-hosts Australia in Sydney, but so far no deal has been announced for the European champions’ broadcast rights in the UK, with Spain, France, Italy and Germany also among those singled out by FIFA president Infantino.

The tournament will be broadcast on RTÉ in Ireland.

Infantino made similar statements at FIFA’s 73rd congress last month, and on Monday reiterated his critique at the World Trade Organization (WTO) headquarters in Geneva, later branding the offers as "a slap in the face of all the great FIFA Women’s World Cup players and indeed of all women worldwide" in an Instagram post.

Infantino wrote: "Today, I have repeated my call for broadcasters to pay a fair price for FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 media rights. We did our part: FIFA has raised the prize money to USD 152 million, treble the amount paid in 2019 and 10 times more than in 2015 (before I became FIFA president).

"However, the offers from broadcasters, mainly in the ‘Big 5’ European countries, are still very disappointing and simply not acceptable, especially considering that:

"1) 100% of any rights fees paid would go straight into women’s football, in our move to promote actions towards equal conditions and pay;

"2) Public broadcasters in particular have a duty to promote and invest in women’s sport;

"3) The viewing figures of the FIFA Women’s World Cup are 50-60% of the men’s FIFA World Cup (which in turn are the highest of any event), yet the broadcasters’ offers in the ‘Big 5’