The FIFA official who negotiated a "surprise broadcast extension" with Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Sports for the FIFA World Cup said that "the agreement was needed to protect date changes required to hold the 2022 tournament in Qatar," according to Tariq Panja of BLOOMBERG. FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke, the organization’s highest administrator, said Fox was given the 2026 World Cup rights in addition to those for the '18 and '22 events the broadcaster won following a '11 bidding competition to "make sure there are no issues regarding the decision on the time the World Cup would be played." Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN -- the U.S. broadcaster of the last two World Cups -- "was among American television companies unaware that the contract was being discussed." Fox questioned FIFA’s proposal to reschedule the '22 event "to protect athletes and spectators from Qatar’s hot summer." Valcke said, "We have done nothing wrong. The deal is good for FIFA, the deal is good for Fox. That’s the most important part, and we have done everything which is in line with international standards." Members of FIFA’s exec board "have yet to learn the financial details." Jordan’s Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, a FIFA VP challenging Sepp Blatter for the organization’s presidency, said that he is "looking into what happened." Valcke said that "the decision to play the event in December affects the U.S. more than most other countries because it coincides with the end" of the NFL season. He said, "At the same time in winter they have the end of the NFL season, they are in the different American sports seasons which are important for them" (BLOOMBERG, 4/22).
