Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon has alleged that the country’s acquisition of broadcasting rights for the 2022 FIFA World Cup involved widespread financial irregularities, claiming large sums of public money were lost through intermediary companies under the previous administration.
Speaking at a press conference at the Press Information Department in Dhaka on Sunday, the minister said, "The current government had adopted a different approach by negotiating directly with FIFA for the media rights to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, significantly reducing costs and recovering most of the expenditure through sub-licensing agreements.”
Swapon also said, "The government secured the broadcasting rights from FIFA for US$3.85 million following instructions from Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to ensure football supporters across Bangladesh could watch the tournament without placing an excessive burden on public finances.”
According to the minister, agreements with four local companies to sub-license the broadcasting rights have already recovered almost the full cost of the purchase.
“The government’s remaining financial shortfall is now only around Tk 4-5 crore,” he said, adding that discussions on additional revenue-sharing arrangements with the sub-licence holders are continuing.
He expressed confidence that the outstanding amount could also be recovered if the negotiations were completed successfully.
The minister contrasted the current arrangement with the purchase of rights for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, alleging that the rights had first been acquired by a Singapore-based company before being transferred to Bangladeshi firm Toma Construction, which later sold them to Bangladesh Television (BTV) for Tk 98 crore.
He further claimed that satellite broadcasting rights were sold separately for Tk 22 crore and digital rights for Tk 17 crore, bringing the overall value of the transactions to roughly Tk 140 crore.
Zahir Uddin Swapon alleged that FIFA itself received only US$3.2 million from the deal, while the remaining funds were paid to intermediaries.
He stated, "The comparison between the 2022 and 2026 broadcasting arrangements demonstrated how eliminating middlemen had substantially reduced costs and improved the use of public funds.”
The minister added that the government intends to strengthen both the commercial and technical aspects of future World Cup broadcasts.
During the briefing, Swapon praised the contributions of Bangladesh Television, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Bangladesh Football Federation and sports journalists in ensuring successful coverage of international football.
BTV Director General Md Mahbubul Alam said, "The broadcaster had secured World Cup broadcasting rights at the lowest cost in its history.”
He further said, "Negotiations over revenue-sharing with sub-licence holders were nearing completion," and expressed optimism that the remaining financial gap could also be eliminated.
Mahbubul Alam added that BTV had relied on its own airtime to broadcast the tournament and said that, once the commercial value of that airtime is taken into account, the overall project is expected to generate a financial return.
Asked whether the government would investigate the alleged irregularities surrounding the 2022 broadcasting agreement, Swapon replied that the legal process was already under way and that the government would cooperate fully with any investigation.
The BTV director general said, "The broadcaster had launched a preliminary internal inquiry and that he was aware of a separate preliminary investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).”
The minister later confirmed that a departmental inquiry was also in progress and said the ministry or BTV would communicate with the ACC if required after the internal investigation had concluded.
Responding to another question, Swapon said, "The government would hold discussions with the Bangladesh Football Federation on the possibility of inviting the national teams of Brazil and Argentina to Bangladesh for an international friendly.”
He also outlined broader plans to strengthen professional sport by identifying promising athletes at an early stage, increasing state support, introducing a sports card system and providing greater recognition for outstanding sporting achievements.
Swapon added that Bangladesh Television would continue to promote public service broadcasting while supporting positive social and cultural values across the country.
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