DHL Dan CCXC - Not Gonna Fold

In this week's Picked Up Pieces column, Shank looks at a looming battle in Foxborough:

If you’re expecting Foxborough to bow to FIFA, think again. The town has a history of standing up to power.

Picked-up pieces while waiting for the return of Jayson Tatum . . .

⋅ Forgive me for enjoying the wonderful David vs. Goliath dustup unfolding in Foxborough (pop. 18,000-plus), where the town’s five-person select board is telling greedy global giant FIFA and the all-powerful Krafts to “show us the money” if they want a license to play World Cup games at Gillette Stadium this summer.

News outlets from near and far gathered Tuesday at Foxborough Town Hall for the latest installment of Foxborough vs. FIFA. No agreement was reached during the animated session, and the board sent lawyers for Boston 26 (FIFA) home with a March 17 deadline for the town to receive $7.8 million in federal funds to provide security for seven scheduled World Cup matches.

There was more noise from Boston 26 and the Krafts on Thursday, with both parties sending letters to Foxborough, pledging ultimately that the money will be there. This led to some reporting that a deal had been struck.

Not quite.

“We appreciate that the Kraft Group and BS26 are moving toward addressing the concerns of the Town but, to be clear, we have not reached an agreement with respect to their proposed funding arrangement,” board chair Bill Yukna told the Globe late Thursday. “What they have presented is essentially an agreement with themselves but such terms are not responsive to the town’s requirements and will not suffice to address the Town’s needs for providing security services for these events. We look forward to continue working with all stakeholders on this matter.”

Sorry, FIFA. Sorry, Krafts. There’ll be no license until the $7.8 million has been delivered.

Not promised.

Delivered.

Seems like a no-brainer - always get the money up front.