The football World Cup, which kicks off on Friday, will be insured to the tune of an estimated $9 billion, according to the Lloyd’s of London insurance market.
Just one of the world’s leading players, at the height of their career and playing in a top league such as England’s Premier League or Italy’s Serie A, could be insured for $73 million, Lloyd’s said in a statement.
Assuming there are no pre-existing conditions, $58 million insures a player’s entire body for sports disability, including accidental death and permanent total disablement, 24 hours a day.
In some cases, a footballer’s brand image may be worth as much as $14.5 million while the combined value of the new and redeveloped stadiums built in South Africa for the tournament amounts to $4.6 billion.
On the back of the World Cup, competitions and offers are springing up all around the globe.
And when it comes to contingency, Chris Nash, active underwriter at Sportscover, said there was a vast range of potential coverage.
“Competitions, offers, prizes, sponsorship, broadcast rights; it’s impossible to know how many there are, but all companies with these financial implications need (insurance) coverage,” Nash explained.
“When you take this into account along with the number of broadcasters around the world airing the games, I’d probably estimate the whole thing at around $4 billion.”
— AFP