By Anne M. Peterson
FIFA President Gianni Infantino could make no guarantee Wednesday that the member federations will distribute the $30,000 payments promised to every player at the Women's World Cup.
He said at a news conference ahead of the tournament opener that he's engaging with member federations on the issue. The payments are made the national federations, which are expected to pay the players.
But there is no mechanism to directly pay the players the money, which could be life-changing for some.
“We are moving of course in the right direction, we have been consulting with associations, with players, to try to go in the right path,” Infantino said. “We have issued these recommendations, but we have an association of associations. So whatever payments we do, we will go through the associations and then the associations will, of course, make the relevant payments to their own players. We are in touch with all the associations.”
FIFA had previously confirmed that the 732 players participating in the World Cup will be paid at least $30,000 each. The paycheck rises if teams do well, with each player for the winning team earning $270,000.
Infantino said there are complications including residency and taxation that are best handled by federations.
The payment is significant for many players: the average annual salary worldwide for women who play professionally is $14,000.
FIFA’s agreement means that half of the total World Cup prize money fund of $110 million will be paid to the players in the 32 teams. The prize pool is more than three times the $30 million prize fund FIFA paid out at the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France.
The global players’ union, known as FIFPRO, helped push FIFA to dedicate a percentage of the prize money to the players themselves. The union sent a letter to FIFA in October on behalf of players from 25 national teams calling for more equitable conditions and prize money.
However, the prize money fund is still far below the $440 million paid to the men who played in the World Cup last year in Qatar. Infantino said the goal is to equalize the prize money by the 2026 men's World Cup and the 2027 women's edition.
Infantino said the Women's World Cup is expected to generate a half-billion dollars in revenue and the organization will break even. For the first time, the commercial rights for the Women's World Cup were sold separately from the men's tournament.
The tournament opens Thursday with both co-hosts involved. New Zealand will play Norway in Auckland, and Australia will take on Ireland in Sydney.
The 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is around the corner. The race starts January 25th and goes until the 28th. To celebrate the upcoming race, Acura Team Penske driver Helio Castroneves and IMSA President Scott Atherton rang the NYSE Closing Bell and stopped by Cheddar to explore the work that has gone into this competition.
In this week's episode of The Crypto Craze Cheddar Anchors Brad Smith and Baker Machado explain the biggest trends in the market. Cable and satellite entertainment company Starz filed a petition, asking the FCC to step in to resolve a fight with Altice. Facebook announces an update to its news policy. Amazon is increasing its prices.
To get you in the Super Bowl spirit PepsiCo is rolling out advertisements to gear up for the game. Greg Lyons, CMO of Pepsi Beverage, and Jen Saenz, CMO of Frito-Lay explain the messages behind the company's iconic ads this season.
On VF Hive: We’re joined by the crew from Vanity Fair's Hive to discuss Bannon's Mueller investigation subpoena. On Between Bells: Winter Olympics diplomacy, and Ellen Pompeo's payday. With New York Magazine, Latina Magazine, and FHM.
North Korea and South Korea shocked the world by announcing plans to march under a unified flag at the upcoming Winter Olympic Games. FHM's Nick Dimengo joins Cheddar to discuss whether the news will increase interest in the games.
The former Yankees star founded "The Players' Tribune" in 2014 as a way for athletes to tell their stories the way they want them to be told. The CEO says Facebook's changes only help get their story out there.
What's better than reading in-depth news about your favorite athletes, perhaps getting that news straight from the players' pen or mouth? "The Players' Tribune" is a sports media company started by Derek Jeter back in 2014. Since then, TPT has grown into video, continued to break news, and builds recognition in the sports space.
VICIS CEO Dave Marver discusses the Zero1 helmet, rated by the NFL as the safest ever made. Marver explains what makes the helmet different and what's next for the company.
People have compared trading on the stock market to playing a sport. You need to know the players, when to make your move, and how to win. So why not follow the sports industry and sports business like how you follow the stock market news? Corey Leff thinks you should. That is why he started "John Wall Street," a newsletter that covers the ins and outs of the sports industry.
Najee Goode is both a linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles and a design engineer for the app VEEPIO. The Super Bowl hopeful joins Cheddar to explain what the Eagles need to do to win on Sunday and why VEEPIO is helping fans be more engaged.
