London, UK: FIFA President Mr. Gianni Infantino has warned that Europe’s top football nations could face a broadcast blackout for this year’s Women’s World Cup. The President cited “disappointing” offers for the rights by the media and called for an improvement.

Mr. Infantino has criticized the “Big 5” European countries England, Spain, Italy, Germany, and France for their “unacceptable” offers for the broadcast rights of this year’s Women’s World Cup. According to Mr. Infantino, the offers were a “slap in the face” for the players and all women worldwide.

During a World Trade Organization meeting in Geneva, FIFA President emphasized the moral and legal responsibility to avoid underselling the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Mr. Infantino made it clear that it is their obligation to ensure fair compensation for the event’s broadcast rights.

Australia and New Zealand will be co-hosting the World Cup from July 20 to August 20. According to Infantino, broadcasters have offered only $1 million to $10 million for the broadcast rights of the Women’s World Cup, which is significantly lower than the $100 million to $200 million offered for the men’s World Cup rights.

Infantino has been raising concerns over the issue for the past seven months. The President first expressed his dissatisfaction with the offers for the Women’s World Cup during the official draw for the 32-team tournament held in Auckland.

During the annual meeting of world football held in Rwanda last March, Mr. Infantino announced a threefold increase in team prize money to $110m for the Women’s World Cup. However, he also stated that there had been no progress with TV broadcasters, despite previous concerns raised by FIFA about their low offers. Infantino’s announcement followed criticism from players, who argued that equal pay should be offered for the tournament.

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