July 6 – FIFA says it will not back down after scheduling next year’s World Cup final kickoff in Russia on the same afternoon as the Wimbledon men’s tennis final.
Various broadcasters are reported to have made complaints about the clash on Sunday July 15.
However a FIFA statement said the World Cup timing (6pm local time) was decided several months ago, with several factors taken into consideration.
“The kick-off times for the FIFA World Cup were set in cooperation with a range of stakeholders and taking into account a number of aspects such as the global broadcast market and feasibility for the fans – both in terms of attending the matches and reaching a wide TV audience,” said the statement.
“Following those discussions it was decided on December 3, 2015 that the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final will take place at 18.00 (Moscow time). No changes in the match schedule are currently under consideration.”
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