Ian Wright slams Women's World Cup dispute between FIFA and TV broadcasters | OneFootball

Ian Wright has criticised an ongoing dispute between FIFA and TV broadcasters over rights for the Women’s World Cup.

Earlier this month, FIFA President Gianni Infantino threatened a TV blackout of this summer’s tournament in Europe.

The only way of preventing this, he said, was to improve on their "unacceptable" offers for the rights.

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Bids from Britain, Spain, Italy, Germany and France were allegedly so low that they were a "slap in the face" of the players and "all women worldwide".

With negotiations still ongoing, Ian Wright has addressed the situation on his podcast, Wrighty’s House.

“Whatever’s going on with the broadcasters and FIFA… for me, they’ve got to sit down and resolve it, and sort it out,” Wright said.

“How can the Women’s World Cup not be across Europe? It would never happen in the men’s game. We’ve got six weeks to go and we still don’t know who the main broadcaster is.

“Here in England we’re trying to get ours sorted, but it’s in Germany, it’s in Spain, it’s in Italy. Look at the amount of opportunities these girls probably missed out on in respect to sponsorship deals leading into it. Being on billboards, blasting it.

“It’s not a good look. Six weeks and the women are playing in their greatest moments. But you walk down the street and people don’t even know.”

Wright then admitted he felt sorry for fans of women’s football.

“More than anything else, it’s the fans,” he said. “The fans that came in droves to the Euros and are now still following.

“We’re seeing the uptake for the women’s game. For this not to be blasted. I feel quite sad about the whole thing, but I’m going our from the start, I’m going to have a blast. I’m going to blast it!”

Gianni Infantino claims FIFA have "moral obligation" not to undersell Women’s World Cup

Infantino wrote a lengthy Instagram post calling out TV broadcasters at the start of May, branding the bid received as “disappointing”.

“So, to be very clear, it is our moral and legal obligation not to undersell the FIFA Women’s World Cup,” he said.

“Therefore, should the offers continue not to be fair (towards women and women’s football), we will be forced not to broadcast the FIFA Women’s World Cup into the 'Big 5' European countries.”