As Foxborough officials keep balking, Healey insists World Cup will happen here

Ever the optimist, Gov. Maura Healey says World Cup matches are still coming to Massachusetts, less than 100 days from now.

Healey’s comments to reporters came after another tough night in Foxborough for event organizers, who appeared before the select board, the body that’s in charge of issuing a key license for Gillette Stadium, the Kraft Group-owned venue that will host the matches. They want commitments for equipment and funding for security before they issue the entertainment license.

“World Cup’s gonna happen,” Healey said after an unrelated event at the State House. “FIFA is going to be in Massachusetts. It's going to be awesome. It's going to be great to have people come from all over the world and see our awesome state.”

The world is already watching. Foxborough’s made headlines across the pond, as evidenced by a British tabloid’s recent headline: “Tiny town REFUSING to host World Cup weeks before start over bankruptcy fears & call for Robert Kraft to foot $8m bill.”

According to Foxborough’s official website, it is indeed small, with a population of 18,000, and “known by its residents as ‘the Gem of Norfolk County.’” This may come as a surprise to other parts of Norfolk County.

But the affair underscores the power of local government in New England, as Foxborough stands athwart World Cup history, yelling, “Where’s our money?” The New York Times’ Athletic called Tuesday night’s meeting inside Foxborough’s town hall a “remarkable, and at times tetchy session.”

During the meeting, Peter Tamm, an attorney for the organizing committee Boston Soccer 26, tried an interesting gambit: He floated the possibility that the board would be overstepping its bounds, and past history for entertainment events, in denying the license. (Lisa Mead, the town’s counsel and former mayor of Newburyport, sought to shut down that thinking, saying the town is acting within its purview.)

An optimist like the governor, Tamm said he was confident a deal would get done. And state officials and soccer fans may have been heartened by the organizing committee outlining a path by saying they were willing to pay “for everything.” They cited a guarantee from the deep-pocketed Kraft Group to cover any shortfall. Costs would be paid in full within two business days of an invoice.

That may have gotten lost during the meeting. The discussion went off the rails after Tamm and a colleague pointed to a June 1 deadline for delivering security equipment, and the select board voiced their unhappiness with how close that is to the start of the soccer matches. (The first match is June 13, Scotland versus Haiti.)

“Waiting until June 1 is unacceptable,” said Bill Yukna, the select board’s chair. “I think you need to rethink that one.”

Gary Ronan, one of the Boston Soccer 2026 attorneys, said the guarantee is that all equipment will be available no later than June 1 and they will work with the public safety chiefs to make sure the equipment is what they need.

“You know, this is an event license, right? Respectfully, I don’t think the board needs to – I don’t want to use the word ‘micromanage’ but no other word is coming to mind – every detail of when exactly you need to order this piece of equipment or that piece of equipment,” he said, appearing to step in it. That prompted Yukna to say, “I don’t think you’re really hearing us.”

“I think we’re close,” said Tamm, stepping in to clean up. “We’re going to go back and we’re going to keep working.”

Do you think a deal will get done by March 17? Or are things going offsides? Let me know: [email protected].

Join Senate President Spilka, Speaker Mariano, Senate Majority Leader Creem, Event Hosts Senator Payano, and Representatives Consalvo, Garballey, and Williams, other leaders of legislature, advocacy,and medicine for Virtual 17th Annual Prostate Cancer Awareness Day, held on March 24th, 10 am to 2 pm. You will take part in expanding a Massachusetts model of national leadership in prostate cancer awareness, medical education, research and reducing health disparities. You will learn about the cutting-edge advances in prevention, diagnosis and treatment – and Prostate Cancer Resource Project, bringing the best available quality care to Massachusetts men and supporting them every step of their medical journey. This event is organized by AdMeTech Foundation, in cooperation with the Prostate Cancer Action Council.

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HAPPENING TODAY

9:00 | New survey data is released on the impact of federal policies on Massachusetts nonprofits. The event is hosted by the Boston Foundation, with the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network and MassINC Polling Group. | 75 Arlington St, Boston | Register | Livestream

10:00 | Healey administration officials celebrate registration of the first AI health care apprenticeship program, which is a partnership between Northeastern University and Lahey Hospital & Medical Center. Attendees include Labor Secretary Lauren Jones, Division of Apprentice Standards Director Lara Thomas and Lahey President Dr. Susan Moffatt-Bruce. | 41 Burlington Mall Road, 4th floor, Burlington

11:00 | Interim Transportation Secretary Phil Eng, who is also general manager of the MBTA, will assess the state of public transit at the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Transportation First event. | Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, 265 Franklin St., Suite 1701, Boston

1:30 | Gov. Maura Healey joins union members to announce a "major development" related to the MBTA’s North Station Draw One Bridge Replacement Project. | Ironworkers Local 7 Union Hall, 195 Old Colony Ave, South Boston

6:00 | Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and the Community Engagement Cabinet hold office hours for the first time. City residents will have the chance to meet directly with city staff for help registering to vote, completing census registration, getting copies of birth, marriage and death certificates, applying for handicap parking, paying parking tickets, and submitting permits to host events. | Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building, Roxbury

7:00 | Gov. Maura Healey attends the Attleboro Democrats caucus as part of her reelection campaign to talk about her work and priorities. | Attleboro Public Library, 74 N Main St., Attleboro

IMMIGRANT ADVOCATES LAUNCH NEW POLITICAL NONPROFIT

Immigration advocates on Thursday plan to launch a new nonprofit with a political edge amid an ongoing federal crackdown on immigrants.

Elizabeth Sweet, executive director of the MIRA Coalition, an advocacy group, plans to help launch an organization called MIRA Forward New England. The event is set for 11:30 a.m. inside the Carrie Nation restaurant on Beacon Hill.

“It will allow us to mobilize immigrant political power,” she said.

Sweet said organizations similar to the MIRA (Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy) Coalition, which are 501(c)3s, have their own 501(c)4s, giving them more flexibility to be involved in politics. “We are going to be looking ahead around which candidates and politicians MIRA Forward New England will be supporting,” she said.

The group is organizing under the IRS code 501(c)4. Donations to 501(c)4s are not usually tax deductible for the donor, but their identity can be redacted by the IRS. That has also led critics to label some entities as “dark money” groups.

“We’re very excited to be launching in an election year, especially one where immigration issues have been impacting our communities so much,” Sweet said, while adding that the move was not motivated by the Trump administration. Planning was already underway before President Trump’s return to the White House, she said.

FROM BEACON HILL

MBTA COMMUNITIES: Marshfield went before the Supreme Judicial Court to press its case against the MBTA Communities law as an “unfunded mandate,” though the town’s attorney was unable to come up with a line-item cost. Meanwhile, there is some unease in Lexington after the community enthusiastically embraced the law. – CommonWealth Beacon and Boston Globe

IMMIGRANT PROTECTION BILL: As lawmakers pitched a bill protecting immigrant communities from violent federal agents, House Speaker Ron Mariano said a vote on “pragmatic legislative solutions” will happen this spring. Gov. Maura Healey has filed her own proposals, using a spending bill that is in the House Ways and Means Committee. – State House News Service

BADGE OF DISHONOR: The police oversight board known as the POST Commission decertified four former state troopers, as well as two municipal officers. One of them was Gary Cederquist, a former sergeant and “ringleader” of an alleged plot to give some commercial license applicants better treatment on an exam in exchange for gifts, including a new driveway. – MassLive

REGISTRATION, PLEASE: A number of candidates running under the Mass. GOP banner weren’t registered Republicans until recently. That includes gubernatorial candidate Michael Minogue, a medical device executive, and Elizabeth Dionne, who is running for treasurer. – Boston Globe

BUSINESS DESK

HIRING SPREE: Whoop, a company that makes fitness trackers, plans to hire for hundreds of new jobs, the majority of which will be based at its headquarters in Boston’s Kenmore Square. The news prompted Gov. Maura Healey to issue a statement calling the move a “powerful vote of confidence in our economy.” – Boston Business Journal

BI LAHEY CEO: Kevin Tabb, CEO of the state’s second-largest health system, plans to step down in 2027, after the board of Beth Israel Lahey Health finds a successor. The system was formed in 2019, through the merger of Beth Israel and Lahey Health. – Boston Business Journal

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