January 16 – The British sponsorship consultant widely acknowledged as one of the pioneers of modern sports marketing has described as “absurd” FIFA’s decision to expand the World Cup to 48 teams.
Patrick Nally, who played an instrumental role in FIFA’s first global sponsorship programme, says the landmark ruling conceived by FIFA president Gianni Infantino will make the tournament less attractive and lucrative.
“They have rushed through this 48-team plan thinking it is going to make them billions more,” said Nally. “I think it will make them billions less. To make this a 48-team event to pander to Asian countries … it is absurd.”
Infantino announced the expansion in Zurich last week, fulfilling a promise he had made during last year’s election campaign.
He said the move meant more nations would be able to participate and “many more will have a chance to dream”. But Nally said simply inviting more to the party was counter-productive.
“Is it something with more status and more gravitas, or is it just a jolly everyone can go to?”
Nally was behind the sponsorship deal for FIFA with Coca Cola in the 1970s when the World Cup was a 16-team affair. The finals were expanded to 24 teams in 1982 and then to 32 in 1998. Under the new concept, almost one in four FIFA nations will take part.
In an interview with Le Monde, he added: “By suddenly changing the formula of the World Cup, FIFA takes the risk that the interest of broadcasters and sponsors declines. The financial growth it predicts may therefore not be achieved. The decline in the quality of the game, the weakening of qualifications will reduce the commercial value of the tournament. You will need more stadiums, more equipment for training, more hotels and transportation.”
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