The seven World Cup matches scheduled to be played this summer at the home of the New England Patriots continue to hang in the balance as town leaders in Foxborough, Mass., wait to find out who will cover nearly $8 million in projected security costs.
The Select Board in Foxborough will not approve the licenses needed for FIFA to occupy the stadium without a guarantee the town will not be stuck with the bill. The board, at its Feb. 17 meeting, stood firm on the sticking point, and no progress appears to have been made.
The window to issue the licenses is closing quickly. The town has set a March 17 deadline to approve the licenses, given the preparation time needed to implement the security plan.
Although there are only seven matches, including a quarterfinal in Foxborough, security is required by event organizer FIFA to secure Gillette Stadium for all 39 days of the World Cup.
The event begins June 11 and concludes July 19. Matches are scheduled to be played throughout the U.S., as well as in Canada and Mexico.
Foxborough estimates the cost at $7.8 million, and the town board members said they will not saddle taxpayers in the small community with the bill. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates Foxborough has nearly 19,000 residents.
Congress has approved $625 million in funding for security and preparedness for the 11 host cities in the United States, but the locations have yet to see it. Part of the reason is the partial government shutdown that has impacted the Department of Homeland Security. It is the umbrella organization over the Federal Emergency Management Agency — FEMA — that will hand out the cash.
The stadium is owned by The Kraft Group, founded by Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and the town owns the land under it. The group goes through the same process to get licenses for both the Patriots and the New England Revolution, the Kraft-owned MLS team. The Kraft Group pays required funds up front, and the board expects World Cup organizers to follow suit.
“The money has to be here. We’re a small town,” said Stephanie McGowan, vice-chair of the Select Board, at the recent meeting. “This is almost 10 percent of our whole annual budget. How does anybody expect that we would (lay out the money) for someone (FIFA) who’s coming into our town for 39 days, making all these demands, and then you guys go away?
“We cannot do that to our taxpayers. We would not be responsible.”
FIFA sent representatives to the Feb. 17 meeting, but they did not give the board the assurances it sought.
“I gotta be honest with you, it baffles my mind that you guys are sitting here in front of me right now and how we still have no idea where this money’s coming from,” board member Mark Elfman said.
–Field Level Media
