SEVEN-POINT DELAY - Signing agreement to host Women’s World Cup put through rigorous testing of ability to meet requirements

After months of review, the Jamaican Government has signed off on a seven-point agreement clearing the way for the country to co-host the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup alongside the United States, Mexico and Costa Rica.

JFF President Michael Ricketts revealed that the document, which had been under consideration for months, was delayed because seven key areas had to be vetted and agreed upon.

“Yesterday we signed the contract with Government for the 2031 Women’s World Cup. So Government has taken care of all of the paperwork.

“The document was just readied, and the Government has signed off. There was a list of seven points and we actually signed off on the agreement, in terms of being one of the co-hosts for the Women’s World Cup in 2031,” Ricketts told The Gleaner.

The seven-point agreement covers visas, work permits, immigration, labour laws, tax exemptions and foreign exchange undertakings, safety and security, protection of competition rights, waiver indemnification, and other legal matters.

“This is a seven-point document that Government would have signed off on. The Government would have looked at all that in detail, to ensure that they fulfil all these requirements. We (JFF) are now in the process of sending the document to FIFA.

“Government was very careful that they are in a position to meet these requirements, so they would have taken a little bit of time because we are a Third-World country, and we really had to make sure we could meet all of these requirements.

“So it did take a long time, but understandably so. Cabinet would have gone through it (document) with a fine-tooth comb.

“So we were a little bit behind, and we are very grateful we have signed off with the Government. Cabinet has given approval. The Ministry of Tourism would have been part of the agreement, but it is essentially Minister (of Sport, Olivia) Grange, and yesterday, we signed off with Minister Grange, agreeing that the Government will host the 2031 World Cup as part of a group of countries.

“So that is behind us, and I spoke with the president of US Soccer (Cindy Parlow Cone), and she is super excited, and I think we are ready to go now.”

Major opportunity

Ricketts noted that Cabinet plans to establish an organising committee comprising representatives of various government ministries and agencies, along with the JFF, to oversee preparations for the tournament.

He added that hosting the event represents a major marketing and financial opportunity for the country, one that stakeholders intend to maximise.

“We (the organising committee) will sit together and establish a type of task force, and we will guide the process leading up to 2031.

“This is huge. This is probably the biggest sporting event that will take place here, and we are guaranteed three to five games, depending on the schedule.

“I am not at liberty right now to disclose the numbers (projected profits from hosting the World Cup), but I am pretty sure we will be able to do so later on.

“It is only a few years from now, and we have to take inflation into account when we try to craft these numbers. But we will certainly benefit from hosting a global tournament of this magnitude,” he said.

FIFA is expected to make an official announcement regarding the hosts of the 2031 tournament at an extraordinary congress in November. The other host countries are expected to be the United States, Costa Rica and Mexico.

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com