FIFA Secretary General hopeful for compromise on World Cup TV rights

ST. PETERSBURG, April 25. /TASS/. There is hope that a compromise will be reached with Russian TV networks on the broadcasting rights for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura said in an exclusive interview with TASS First Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman. "It is not a secret. We are in negotiations on a day-to-day basis," she said. "I am sure that we will find a compromise. There will be a middle ground set between the media and the TV sponsored in FIFA," Samoura added. "We need these revenues because it means also that we will be able to fulfill our commitment toward funding the LOC budget. But it is not for us, it is for the benefit of the game," the FIFA secretary general said. The 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup will take place from 17 June to 2 July. Group A will feature hosts Russia, as well as New Zealand, Portugal and Mexico. Group B will include Germany, Chile, Australia and Cameroon. Matches will be played in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi and Kazan. The FIFA World Cup will be held between June 14 and July 15, 2018, in 11 Russian cities - Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Saransk, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Yekaterinburg, Samara, Sochi and Rostov-on-Don. Read more