Foxboro denies key license months before start of FIFA World Cup

The town of Foxborough saying no to World Cup organizers. The select board denying a key license ahead of the international tournament, saying they need some key questions answered before moving forward. Boston 25 News reporter Kelly Sullivan live at Gillette Stadium this morning. And Kelly, this meeting got pretty heated. It did. You know, Gillette is set to host seven World Cup games here in June and July. But town select board members, they are putting their foot down, they say, until they find out who is giving them the $7 million and when they will not be issuing the entertainment license that is needed to hold the World Cup games here at Gillette Stadium. Now, representatives from both FIFA and the Boston 26 host committee were at the meeting, but neither could answer the board's questions. FIFA claims it's an issue between Boston and Foxborough. The representative from Boston 26 says they're waiting on FEMA to hand out the money. Town select board members expressed frustration at the lack of answers. I gotta be honest with you. It baffles my mind that you guys are sitting here in front of me right now and have. We still have no idea where this money is coming from. We're not prepared to issue this license unless everything is in place. And I've seen people say, Oh, there's no way they won't. I'm gonna tell you, this board will not issue this license. Now, Gillette is already hosting a friendly match between Brazil and France a little over a month from now. That game is part of the road to 2026 leading up to this summer's World Cup. So there is a deadline to issue that entertainment license. That deadline is set for March 17th. The next time the town select board meets is March 3rd reporting live from Gillette Stadium. Kelly Sullivan for your local station, Boston 25 News.