Sometimes the time is just wrong for an otherwise worthy project, and that seems to be the case with the World Football Museum in Zurich, a project closely associated with Sepp Blatter, who was forced out of his post as head of the world football (soccer) federation FIFA.
In its 8 months of operation, the $142 million museum has lost more than $30 million, has averaged only 11,000 visitors a month, less than 400 a day. The FIFA Council will have it on the agenda in January, and is likely to close it, at least until a new plan can be made.
The Museum's director left in October over "differences of view" over museum strategy. FIFA set up a task force headed by its deputy Secretary General to "develop a sustainable business model for the World Football Museum." A preliminary report, that the Council will discuss, says that "In-depth analysis conducted...showed that the museum will generate an estimated loss of approximately 30 million Swiss francs...Its current operational concept would not allow it to do business viably beyond 2016."
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