Manchester City chief Ferran Soriano holds talks with FIFA over selling Club World Cup

Ferran Soriano – CEO at Manchester City – has reportedly held talks with FIFA over aiding the governing body with selling the Club World Cup to broadcasters.

It is the latest in a number of developments that showcase Manchester City’s rapid rise as a global footballing powerhouse, and their importance to football competition across European football, despite ongoing controversies surrounding their Premier League charges.

Amid the reported threat of expulsion from a number of competitions including the English top-flight, with the club embroiled in a legal clash with the Premier League over their 115 charges of alleged financial rule breaches, City remain at the forefront of the game.

That importance to a number of organisations has now seen the club placed at the heart of FIFA’s plans to build-out the marketing and global visibility of the upcoming Club World Cup in the United States, which Pep Guardiola’s side will compete in.

And front and centre of those talks between parties is Manchester City’s chief executive officer and mastermind behind the City Football Group success, with a new report detailing the importance of Ferran Soriano to recent conversations.

That is according to the information of The Telegraph, who report that Soriano and the Premier League champions are working closely with FIFA to sell the upcoming 2025 Club World Cup in the USA to broadcasters.

It is further explained that Soriano has spoken to FIFA about how the Premier League champions can help promote the tournament, and spoke enthusiastically about the Club World Cup in a video conference hosted by president Gianni Infantino.

Soriano is also said to have shown strong support to FIFA in recent months over the Club World Cup, with the governing body ‘grateful’ for City’s backing as the Etihad Stadium CEO and Infantino addressed a global audience of more than 50 TV companies and streaming providers.

Soriano has been integral to Manchester City also ensuring that the club’s superstar squad remain of the belief that the organisation as a whole is innocent when it comes to the 115 charges that loom over them from the Premier League.

Speaking during a recent interview with MailSport’s Aadam Patel, former City centre-back Aymeric Laporte revealed, “When I was at Manchester City and news broke [on the 115 charges], the sporting director [Txiki Begiristain] and CEO [Ferran Soriano] told all the players and staff that we can all be very calm because not one rule has been broken by the club.”

The former vice-president of FC Barcelona is often photographed sealing agreements that further expand the financial appeal of Manchester City, recently stood alongside Super Group CEO Neal Menashe at the iconic New York Stock Exchange to ring The Opening Bell.