A controversial project supported by Arsenal and club legend Arsene Wenger has received a lifeline this week.
Wenger, now working as a FIFA’s chief of global development, left Arsenal six years ago. A lot has changed at the Emirates in that time, not least in the financial department.
Three years after his departure, the Gunners attempted to join the European Super League but backed down following an unprecedented supporter backlash.
With the introduction of an independent regulator for English football with the power to block clubs from joining breakaway competition imminent, a Super League revival is not on the cards.
But that has not stopped clubs from exploring alternative ways to boost their revenue that might not necessarily go down well with their fans – or even with their manager, Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal-backed tournament handed financial lifeline
Arsenal along with their peers in the so-called Big Six are actively supporting the expansion of the Club World Cup.
Historically a compact tournament with European clubs playing potentially just two games, plans to expand the Club World Cup would see 32 teams compete for the prize on a quadrennial basis.
FIFA’s attempt to launch the competition suffered a blow recently when it emerged that talks with Apple regarding the rights to stream the Club World Cup stalled over FIFA’s price demands.
World football’s governing body was then forced to go back to clubs and canvas them as to whether they would play for a reduced fee.
However, FIFA now appears to be taking a different approach entirely, one which could prove very lucrative for Arsenal in future editions of the tournament.
As relayed by Bloomberg, they are now seeking £1.6bn in funds to enhance their OTT streaming service, with speculation among experts that they could air the Club World Cup themselves.
Cutting out the middle man is considered an attractive option by many clubs. A Netflix-style Premier League service, for example, is advocated by lots of English clubs.
Will Arsenal play in Club World Cup? How much could they earn?
Arsenal will not feature in the inaugural edition of the expanded Club World, which is set to be hosted in the US next year.
Chelsea and Man City will be the sole English representatives, but Arsenal’s support for the competition suggests they are confident they could appear in future years.
FIFA was originally believed to be offering clubs as much as £85m to play in the tournament, which is almost as much as Arsenal banked from their entire Champions League campaign in 2023-24.
However, that figure was based on FIFA’s earlier projections.
Now that they have been unable to secure an ultra-lucrative deal with Apple, the true value of participation will likely come down.
Even though the tournament has proved controversial, it has the support of FIFA luminary Wenger and many others in the game.
However, players union FIFPro are opposing the expansion and have hired Jean-Louis Dupont, the lawyer behind the Jean-Marc Bosman ruling in 1995, to take the fight to FIFA.
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