FIFA’s take-it-or-leave-it specifications for NFL venues hoping to host World Cup matches required, among other things, the changing of the name of the stadiums to ditch any and all sponsors.
The obligation ended up being much more precise than redacting names like “Levi’s” or “AT&T” or “Mercedes-Benz.”
On Tuesday, an image emerged on Twitter of an individual seat at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. The name “Gillette Stadium” was covered with a piece of blue tape.
PFT has confirmed that, indeed, small pieces of tape were placed over the “Gillette Stadium” label on every seat in the building.
All branding in every World Cup venue had to be covered. And the owners and operators of 11 NFL facilities had no qualms about doing it.
They also agreed to hold no other events in the stadiums for the duration of the FIFA takeover, and to (where necessary) remove artificial turf and install high-quality grass. To the chagrin of NFL players who will be playing on the artificial turf that will be re-installed after the World Cup.
No one knows how much money the various stadiums will make in exchange for these extreme efforts to comply with FIFA. Surely, these stadiums wouldn’t be doing it if FIFA wasn’t making it well worth their while.
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