Still no word on security funding for FIFA World Cup in Foxborough

With the 100th day until the World Cup in Boston, officials in Foxboro are waiting for answers about who will pay an estimated $7.8 million for security at Gillette Stadium.

“What is very confusing for us is who is responsible for the financing,” Bill Yokana, chairman of Foxborough Select, told representatives of the FIFA World Cup Boston 2026 host committee on February 17.

City officials are still warning that they could prevent games at Gillette Stadium if organizers don’t pay upfront for local security, but it’s not clear which organizers would be responsible.

Mike Loynd, Chairman of the Boston 2026 Non-Profit Host Committee Which does not receive any funding from FIFAsaid they were contractually obligated to provide financing, but FIFA was the actual license holder for Foxborough.

“What is very different about this is that FIFA US is the applicant for the license, usually the stadium, so there are a lot of things to work on, and we recognize that we are working hard to coordinate this conversation,” he said.

Speaking at the meeting, FIFA operations director Kevin Clarke postponed 2026 to Boston 2026. The Kraft Group, which owns Gillette Stadium, did not return a request for comment, but Yukna said at the meeting that the group “told us it was not technically responsible for the financing.”

Julie Duffy, spokeswoman for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Boston, said earlier Boston Globe They are working with FIFA, the stadium and the city to reach an agreement. The committee did not respond to a request for comment on this story.

With the March 17 deadline already looming, Foxborough officials said they were willing not to issue a license to FIFA for World Cup matches in June and July.

“To me, that would be a no-no, unless we know the money is there…we can’t do this for our taxpayers,” board member Stephanie McGowan said. “We’re so close, and we still haven’t even gotten a license.”

McGowan said the $7.8 million is just for security at the stadium, which is provided by Foxboro police and other employees.

“We might get more from a meal tax or a hotel tax, but that doesn’t bring money to this city,” she said. “In fact, it’s probably more of a headache than it’s worth.”

Many of the 11 World Cup host cities are scrambling as their shares of $625 million in federal security funding remain in limbo, Politico I mentioned Last week. Massachusetts is righteous For just over $46 million in federal funds.

The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency were originally supposed to award the funds by 2018 “No later than” January 30.

At the meeting, Loynd said they were waiting for federal funding. “It’s still a question of how quickly FEMA moves through this process, but we’re sure it’s ongoing,” he said.

The Foxborough Select Board spent nearly 30 minutes at the meeting berating Lowend and Clark for not having answers after three years of planning.

“It makes me a little nervous when the question is asked about where the payment is going to come from, and you both almost point at each other,” board member Debbie Giardino said. “No one wanted to answer that question. I think that shows how frustrated this council is.”

The Town of Foxborough confirmed to Boston.com that officials had no additional comments to share before Tuesday night Select Board MeetingWhere the topic will continue to be discussed.

Molly Farrar is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on education, politics, crime and more.