DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER Prawit Wongsuwan has apparently dampened the hopes of the Thai people anticipating the live broadcasting of each and every soccer match in the Fifa World Cup 2022.
Prawit told reporters at Government House that the Thais might probably watch only some of a total of 64 soccer matches from Qatar on free TV here whilst the World Cup tournament held every four years is scheduled between November 20 and December 18.
The deputy premier in charge of sports affairs stopped short of saying how many of the total 64 soccer games starting from the opener until the final might probably be available to watch live in this country and blamed it on a pricey 1.6 billion baht Fifa broadcasting licence.
Prawit said Thailand could afford to pay an estimated one billion baht and not as much as 1.6 billion baht for the Fifa licence which he said he considered as being “too expensive.”
Prawit who concurrently heads the ruling Palang Pracharath Party said some unidentified agents and would-be sponsors in this country are currently in the process of negotiating a reduction in the steep price.
The National Broadcasting & Telecommunications Commission has already offered to contribute 600 million baht in funding for the Sports Authority of Thailand to buy the Fifa broadcasting licence.
However, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam suggested that the balance might probably be borrowed from the sports agency’s National Sports Development Fund or some other financial sources but not the government’s Central Fund which is primarily earmarked only to fund emergency or relief aid measures.
CAPTIONS:
Top: The World Cup trophy next to a football. Photo by Fauzan Saari on Unsplash
Front Page: A man playing football. Photo by Emilio Garcia on Unsplash
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