May 30 – FIFA is keeping faith with its much-troubled world football museum in Zurich despite a swathe of redundancies at the loss-making venue.
Following a report presented to the FIFA Council at its meeting in Bahrain at the beginning of May, FIFA says “continued support” was expressed from its strategic and oversight body.
FIFA are reported to have invested CHF 140 million in the museum but earlier this year were reported to have closed its catering department.
But a statement from deputy secretary-general Zvonimir Boban said FIFA were “definitely on the right track. We want to continue strengthening these values and turn the FIFA World Football Museum into a true meeting place for everyone in Zurich.”
Giving an insight into what being on the right track means, FIFA said that “a new business model has resulted in a significantly improved (the) financial situation at the museum with a more responsible economic approach focused on the museum becoming a hub of football research and cultural exchange, for both the local community in Zurich as well as football fans from across the globe.”
At one point, the museum, the third largest in Zurich with more than 1,000 exhibits and 500 videos over 3,000 square meters, had over 100 full-time staff. By mid-2017 it will have half that, according to Swiss reports. Since opening it has attracted an average of 11,000 visitors a month, barely half the target of 250,000 visitors per year.
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