Foxborough is slamming the brakes on World Cup plans at Gillette Stadium, refusing to sign off on an entertainment license for seven matches until someone steps up to guarantee roughly $7.7 to $7.8 million in police and public safety costs. The Select Board has made it clear it will not put local taxpayers on the hook for an international spectacle that demands hefty up-front spending. For now, that stance has the stadium's summer schedule stuck in neutral while organizers scramble to sort out the money.
At a Tuesday meeting, board members repeatedly pressed for a straight answer on who will actually pay the bill and grew visibly frustrated when representatives for FIFA and the Boston host committee could not give one. "All we're asking for is a collaboration that gets us the answer as to 'Who?'," Select Board Chair Bill Yukna said, according to The Boston Globe. The board warned it would withhold the entertainment license unless that funding question is resolved by mid March, the paper reported.
How the funding is supposed to work
Foxborough has applied for a portion of the $625 million in federal funds set aside to help host cities cover security, but those dollars are reimbursements, not cash up front, and town leaders say they cannot float millions and simply hope Washington pays them back. Gov. Maura Healey proposed $20 million in state support, but lawmakers signed off on $10 million, with much of that already earmarked for Boston's Fan Fest, leaving Foxborough staring at a sizable gap, according to Boston.com. That shortfall is the key reason the board is demanding a concrete financial guarantee before issuing the license.
FIFA, the host committee and the Kraft Group
FIFA's venue operations director told the board his team focuses on logistics and operations and is not in a position to weigh in on the financial arrangements, effectively leaving the money issue between the stadium and the town. Mike Loynd, CEO of the Boston host committee, said the stadium has offered a "liquidity agreement" designed to protect the public safety payroll, but town officials pointed out that the Kraft Group, which owns Gillette Stadium, has not formally committed to covering security the way it does for New England Patriots games, per WCVB. Those explanations fell flat with Select Board members at Tuesday's hearing.
Deadlines and what’s next
The Select Board has now put key dates on the calendar. Another public meeting is scheduled for March 3, and the town says the final decision on the entertainment license must come by March 17, according to The Boston Globe. Organizers and town leaders planned to huddle again this week in search of a funding plan that everyone can live with. Without a clear pledge, officials warned, the seven World Cup matches slated for Gillette could be in jeopardy.
Regional coverage has highlighted the possibility that Gillette, which would be temporarily rebranded for the tournament, could lose its World Cup dates if the security money is not guaranteed. The town received an offer from the Kraft Group to front some of the costs, but officials say that proposal still falls short of the full public safety bill. "Nobody wanted to answer the question, and I think that speaks volumes to the frustration that this board is feeling and concern," Select Board member Amy LaBranche said, as reported by Axios. For now, Foxborough officials say the ball is squarely in the court of FIFA and the host committee, and they are not signing anything until they can see exactly where the money is coming from.
