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“It’s not acceptable for us,” Foxborough Select Board Chair Bill Yukna told lawyers for the Boston hosting committee Tuesday night.
With the World Cup games at risk, town officials in Foxborough seemed unconvinced that the host committee for the World Cup games planned for Gillette Stadium will provide the estimated $7.8 million in security funding.
After having few answers at a Foxborough Select Board meeting two weeks ago, Boston FIFA World Cup 2026 host committee President Mike Loynd appeared before the board again Tuesday night. This time, he was accompanied by two attorneys, who said the committee will cover public safety costs, but not up front.
The lawyers said the public safety materials would be available by June 1, and the invoices will be paid within two days of the soccer games. Foxborough Select Board Chair Bill Yukna emphasized the town’s March 17 deadline to settle the issue.
“It’s not acceptable for us,” Yukna said. “The balance of it will be due just before the 17th meeting for us to be able to successfully say we can accomplish the goals that the public safety plan calls for.”
Foxborough officials have threatened to withhold the entertainment license needed to host the World Cup games taking place in June and July. While the host committee, or Boston Soccer 2026, is not the applicant or the licensee, they are responsible for the funding of public safety, including local police, equipment, and fire crews, the attorney said.
“The thing that rings loud and clear is you all wanted an answer to a very simple question, which is, ‘where’s the money coming from?’” attorney Gary Ronan said about the previous meeting. “Who is going to make sure that the town is not left holding the bag if you pay for police and fire and this equipment, and for whatever reason, the federal grant money doesn’t come through.”
Hosting committee will pay with commitment from Krafts ‘to fund any shortfalls’
Ronan, of law firm Goulston and Storrs, said Boston Soccer 2026 “actually has a substantial amount of money in the bank right now” and would also provide a commitment letter from Kraft Sports and Entertainment “to fund any shortfalls.”
The lawyers said the town could file invoices for the public safety costs — including everything the town’s public safety officials require, Ronan said — after each of the seven games, which would be paid in full within two business days. FIFA requires the venue to be secured for the entire 39 days of the tournament.
“It’s unusual. Typically, as we understand it, some in this room may know better than I, it takes up to 30 days for a stadium event for processing,” lawyer Peter Tamm said. “This is going to kickstart that. This is supposed to eliminate any concern about liquidity, and that can be reflected in the license.”
Many of the 11 World Cup host cities are scrambling as their shares of $625 million in federal security funding remains in limbo, POLITICO reported last week. Massachusetts is eligible for just over $46 million of the federal money, which the Federal Emergency Management Agency was originally supposed to award by “no later than” Jan. 30.
“There is no reason to think that the grant money is not coming through,” Ronan added. “It’s allocated and we know that it’s in process.”
Governor Maura Healey told reporters Wednesday that she’s confident the games will happen, while Rep. Stephen Lynch said he’s backing Foxborough “100 percent.”
“The World Cup’s going to happen. FIFA is going to be in Massachusetts,” Healey said. “It’s going to be great to have people come from all over the world and see our awesome state.”
Host committee’s lawyers clash with town counsel
The Foxborough public safety chiefs put together a safety plan with FIFA, including appropriate staffing protocols and equipment needed before the games in June. The attorneys said the materials would all be available by June 1, but “these guys need it now. They need it now,” Select Board member Mark Elfman said.
While acknowledging the situation is unsolved, Tamm said that “when we propose to backstop and ensure the staffing, that is going above and beyond.”
“That is demonstrating that the public safety concerns will be addressed when we’ve ensured that the liquidity issues have been eliminated. That cannot be a basis for denial of the license,” Tamm said. “If payments come due and are not paid in accordance with the license terms, you can suspend, rescind, modify.”
Town Counsel Lisa Mead disagreed, saying the Board has broad discretion to deny a license if the soccer organizers are unable to fulfill the public safety requirements.
“We are 99 or 100 days away from hosting the largest sporting event in the world, and we can’t seem to find necessary funding for necessary equipment that’s been identified in over a year and a half of planning,” Foxborough Police Chief Michael Grace said. “Waiting till June 1 is unacceptable.”
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