MasterCard is suing FIFA over its contract with Visa to sponsor the next two World Cup tournaments. Mastercard says it returned a signed contract to extend its sponsorship deal with FIFA. But FIFA said it had already signed a deal with MasterCard's rival, Visa.
Visa petitioned to be allowed a role in the litigation, given the importance of the decision in their marketing. MasterCard, argued that Visa should not be allowed into the lawsuit because its interests were represented by FIFA.
The court said it would issue a brief order soon, to be followed by a longer opinion. The contract between Visa and FIFA starts on January 1. 2007.
