Inside Business podcast: Is Russia ready for the Fifa World Cup?

Also on the Business of Sport, sports betting in the US and the Irish Open in Lahinch

Preparations for the Fifa World Cup continue apace on the ground. Photograph: Reuters
Preparations for the Fifa World Cup continue apace on the ground. Photograph: Reuters

Inside Business is a regular podcast from The Irish Times. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, on Android, on Stitcher - or wherever you find podcasts.

The Inside Business podcast this week is devoted to the Business of Sport and for that, we’re joined again by Mick O’Keeffe of Teneo PSG.

In just over a fortnight's time, the 2018 Fifa World Cup kicks off in Russia, with the tournament likely to generate billions for both the association and the local economy.

Patrick Nally is considered the founding father of modern sports marketing and the man responsible for the commercial resurrection of the Fifa World Cup, brokering a sponsorship deal for the tournament with Coca-Cola that lasted for four decades.

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Nally talks to Ciarán Hancock and Mick about Fifa’s toxic image in recent years, how that has led to a loss of trust in the brand and why this might be the first World Cup since 1978 that he won’t be attending.

On the ground

Also in this episode, Marc Bennetts, a Moscow-based journalist who has written for The Times, the Guardian and Politico, on how preparations in Russia have been going on the ground.

But first, Ciarán and Mick discuss the major sport business themes of the month, including a number of big Irish sponsorship and broadcast rights deals, sports betting in the US and a move by the Irish Open to Lahinch, Co Clare in 2019.

Jennifer Ryan

Jennifer Ryan is a former audio producer at The Irish Times