UEP announces the same thing that FIDE announced the day before, that negotiations over the next WCh cycle broke down. They add:
Due to different agendas relating to organisational sovereignty and commercial rights, the parties failed to reach an agreement. Aggravating circumstances included FIDE's financial expectations beyond the original tender details.
UEP - the only bidder for the tender - believes that under such circumstances a permanent and successful marketing of the World Chess Championship will be questionable.
Yada yada yada. Let's hear some numbers. FIDE almost tripped up the already much-delayed Kamsky-Topalov match by coming back with demands for an increased prize fund. Would it be too much to ask they run this professionally by just opening bidding and announcing minimums?
"FIDE almost tripped up the already much-delayed Kamsky-Topalov match by coming back with demands for an increased prize fund"
Kirsan is maybe just testing how much extra "fees" FIDE can get also this time, it worked in Topalov-Kamsky even if it took a while. As UEP point out no other bidders have been involved, so either FIDE will give UEP the deal they want, or they can start auctioning out another cycle change. Maybe time for a bid from Yerevan, giving the Grand Prix winner a title match, or one from Oslo giving the highest rated player behind Topalov and Anand (on some appropriately picked rating list) the match.