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MasterCard files suit against Fifa
MUMBAI: With the football World cup less than two months away, one of Fifa’s global partners, MasterCard International has filed a complaint in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York seeking an injunction against Fifa.
The aim is to prevent Fifa from moving forward with an agreement with arch rival Visa International to sponsor the 2010 and 2014 editions of the World Cup.
It was recently revealed that Fifa had entered into that relationship despite having a contractual agreement giving MasterCard the right of first refusal to continue to be the category-exclusive sponsor of those events.
MasterCard’s complaint states that after a period of negotiation in which Fifa assured MasterCard that it was not going to enter into an agreement with a third party, it proceeded in doing so.
Mastercard alleges that Fifa did this despite the fact that it had already provided MasterCard with a written contract, including all terms, which MasterCard signed and returned to Fifa, which then advised MasterCard that a deal with Visa was completed.
MasterCard International General Counsel Noah Hanft says, “This action by Fifa is a blatant and deceitful violation of our right of first refusal particularly as we had already signed and accepted Fifa’s offer.”
MasterCard states that as part of its 2002-2006 agreement with Fifa, which was signed in 2002, the cerdit card major was granted the right of first refusal to be the official and exclusive payment solutions sponsor of future Fifa World Cup events. Therefore, Fifa was precluded from entering into such an agreement with Visa.
Hanft adds, “Among the key terms we bargained for in the 2002-2006 Fifa World Cup sponsorship negotiation was the right to obtain future FIFA World Cup sponsorship opportunities and a critical aspect of any sponsorship, particularly one as significant as Fifa World Cup, is continuity and the building of equity over time.
“MasterCard will vigorously pursue legal action to compel Fifa to honour the 96-page written and binding agreement it has with MasterCard, providing for us to be an official sponsor of the next two FIFA World Cups.”
MasterCard International chief marketing officer Lawrence Flanagan says, “MasterCard continues to move forward with the important customer and consumer programming related to the 2006 Fifa World Cup in Germany, which begins in June. A significant number of our customer financial institutions, more than 300 of them, are activating business-building programmes worldwide.”
News Broadcasting
WITT Summit 2026 concludes in New Delhi
Babar Azam’s comical diving attempt goes viral as league introduces anti-dew measures.
MUMBAI: The WITT Summit just wrapped up with enough big ideas to fill a policy playbook because when India’s leaders, thinkers and icons gather under one roof, even the conversations hit sixes. The eighth edition of TV9 Network’s flagship What India Thinks Today (WITT) Summit 2026 concluded on Saturday after two days of dynamic discussions at its New Delhi venue. India’s largest multi-domain public policy and culture summit brought together political leaders, policymakers, sports icons, artists and technology innovators to examine the forces shaping contemporary India and its global standing.
Prime minister Narendra Modi delivered the keynote address on the theme “India and the World” for the third consecutive year. In a wide-ranging speech, he addressed the ongoing conflict in West Asia, calling for restraint and compassion while highlighting India’s continued development trajectory despite global turmoil.
The summit featured candid conversations with state leaders. Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy articulated a people-first governance model and contrasted it with other development approaches. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav declared that Left-wing extremism had been effectively eliminated in his state and highlighted preparations for the upcoming Kumbh Mela. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann defended his government’s record, citing the closure of 19 toll plazas and creation of the Sadak Suraksha Force. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar expressed confidence in Congress prospects in Assam and addressed recent allegations against him.
On geopolitics and national security, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia outlined India’s ambition to become a builder of trusted digital infrastructure for the world, citing the rapid 5G rollout and village-level 4G connectivity.
Cricket received significant attention. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly praised player freedom and trust as hallmarks of great leadership and named MS Dhoni as the greatest captain due to his World Cup successes. India women’s team bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi credited the BCCI and Women’s Premier League for building a pipeline of world-class talent behind the team’s recent ODI World Cup triumph.
The summit also hosted the inaugural AI² Awards 2026, celebrating the convergence of human creativity and machine intelligence in storytelling and content creation. Poet and kathavachak Kumar Vishwas delivered a nuanced take on India’s concept of Dharma and criticised the recent arrest of an 80-year-old Shankaracharya. Veteran lyricist Sameer Anjaan and storyteller Neelesh Misra reflected on changing music trends and artistic responsibility in the wake of a recent controversy involving Nora Fatehi.
In a country where conversations often run as deep as the Ganges, the WITT Summit proved once again that when leaders, thinkers and storytellers come together, the real winner is public discourse lively, layered and refreshingly unafraid to tackle the big questions shaping India’s tomorrow.
