FIFA Breaks Its Own Rule for Argentina Match

Ahead of the World Cup semifinal between Argentina and England, FIFA has been forced to change its own commercial policy. Under normal circumstances, the display of logos of commercial brands that are not approved by FIFA is not allowed during the tournament in order to protect the interests of official sponsors. In this regard, FIFA’s agreements with its official mobility partners, Hyundai and Kia, are particularly important. However, the governing body of world football has made a special exception to this policy because it is not possible to cover the famous ‘Mercedes-Benz’ logo on the roof of Atlanta’s stadium.

FIFA has been compelled to make an exception to its rules because of the stadium’s design and engineering complexities. The stadium’s roof is made up of eight massive movable sections, or ‘petals.’ Each weigh about 500 tons and is nearly 220 feet long. Covering the ‘Mercedes-Benz’ logo on such a large structure could have created significant engineering risks.

Adam Fullerton, vice president of the stadium’s operations department, had earlier explained the matter: “The logo is not only on the roof but also in various parts of the exterior of the stadium. They are not small; rather, they are enormous by design.”

Under FIFA’s ‘clean stadium’ policy, all unauthorized commercial advertisements or branding inside and around the stadium must be removed or covered during the tournament. The same rule also applies to branding visible from the air, unless FIFA grants special written permission.

In Atlanta’s case, implementing the rule was not possible because of the permanent infrastructural design. Therefore, FIFA changed its policy after considering safety and engineering realities.