Wimbledon officials 'surprised' that FIFA World Cup final is scheduled to clash with their prime event

Wimbledon officials expressed surprise over FIFA’s decision to hold the World Cup final in the same time bracket as the final of their Men’s Singles division.

Both the events are scheduled to be held on July 15. The Wimbledon final is scheduled to start two hours before the World Cup final.

“We’ve always known it was going to be there, we knew 18 months ago. But I think it’s slightly surprising that FIFA have the kick-off at four o’clock, It’s not something they’ve done in the past but that’s the decision. You know, our tournament [final] always starts at two o’clock – we’ll start at two o’clock," Mick Desmond, the All England Lawn Tennis Club's commercial and media director, said to .

“There was dialogue [with FIFA] and there was dialogue between the broadcasters. I think broadcasters who’ve got both sets of rights were concerned. At the end of the day, FIFA decided to do that,” he added.

"The kick-off time for the FIFA World Cup were set in cooperation with a range of stakeholders and taking into account a number of aspects such as the global broadcast market and feasibility for the fans — both in terms of attending the matches and reaching a wide TV audience,” a FIFA spokesperson said to The Telegraph.