By Anton Bridge
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese football fans face missing out on televised coverage of the Women’s World Cup if broadcasters fail to strike a deal with FIFA in the 35 days before the tournament starts in Australia and New Zealand.
Japan, whose Nadeshiko team won the 2011 Women’s World Cup, is the last major country where broadcasting rights remain unclaimed after FIFA reached an agreement on rights for five European countries on Wednesday.
At an event on Tuesday announcing the Japan squad for the World Cup, Japanese Football Association (JFA) chief Kozo Tashima said he was “very concerned” that the games would not be shown.
“I understand that negotiations have stalled and there’s a gulf between positions,” he told a news conference in Tokyo. “Broadcasting rights are not aligned to the Japanese market.”
The rights to the Women’s World Cup had been bundled with those of the men’s tournament but for the first time were sold separately for this year’s edition.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said broadcasters had offered only $1 million-$10 million, compared to $100 million-$200 million for the men’s World Cup, and bluntly declared the bids “unacceptable”.
A blackout in Britain, Spain, France, Germany and Italy was averted when Wednesday’s deal was signed. No financial details were disclosed.
Japan is a highly lucrative market for TV rights and women’s football has a committed following which burgeoned after the Nadeshiko won the cup in 2011 and reached the final in 2015.
FIFA’s Chief Business Officer Romy Gai this month called out Japanese broadcasters for failing to offer enough despite the tournament’s being played in a perfect time zone for local fans.
“Japan has become synonymous with women’s footballing excellence, this is why it saddens me that there is currently no broadcaster in Japan,” he said. “I would call on Japanese broadcasters to show they value women’s football and pay what our game is worth.”
Fuji TV and state broadcaster NHK held the rights for the 2019 Women’s World Cup and broadcast the men’s tournament in Qatar last year.
Fuji TV declined to comment; NHK did not respond to a request for comment.
As things stand, the World Cup games will be available in Japan but only online via the FIFA app and without Japanese commentary.
“I doubt whether people who aren’t already fans would make the effort to watch through the app,” Tashima added. “That’s why it’s so important to have it on terrestrial TV.”
“Whatever form it takes, we hope that this is solved so that everyone in Japan can support Nadeshiko Japan,” he said. “With one and a half months to go, and the time needed for scheduling, we’re well aware that we’re cutting it fine.”
The ninth Women’s World Cup kicks off in Auckland and Sydney on July 20.
(Reporting by Anton Bridge in Tokyo; Editing by Nick Mulvenney and Gerry Doyle)
