FIFA demands more than £3,000 for cheapest seats at finals in New Jersey, with supporter groups outraged over the cost of attending matches next summer
Ahead of his expensive engagement in the nauseatingly extravagant FIFA World Cup draw, Dubai’s Rio Ferdinand was asked about the price of tickets to the tournament. He answered:
“I’m a people person in that I come from an area that always wanted things to be accessible. I know the people behind the scenes at FIFA are working toward something like that right now… Whether they’ll get there remains to be seen.”
It can no longer be seen. And the ticket prices appear to be targeted at wealthy expats living in the UAE, rather than the average man, woman and child living in Peckham. Rio will probably be furious.
read more: England fans furious over FIFA World Cup ticket prices – ‘They took football away from the working class’read more: FIFA accuses England of ‘gross betrayal’, covers full cost of World Cup tickets
The luxury of FIFA’s top leadership is disgusting. How much did that giant trophy made for Donald Trump cost?
Or is it to make Aaron Judge, Wayne Gretzky, Shaquille O’Neal and others take embarrassing turns in the lottery? But it’s okay. Because FIFA will make a potload of punters desperate to qualify for the World Cup.
The more you look at the “participant match allocation” price scale, the more sneaky it becomes. The headline numbers focus on “value tier” tickets, but they don’t make up the majority of seats.
So if you’re an England fan and you’re going to cheer on Thomas Tuchel’s side until the end, you’ll actually be lucky to get a World Cup final ticket for just £3,128. You’ll probably need to buy a ‘Standard Tier’ ticket, which England Supporters Travel Club members can buy for £4,167. For the ‘premium tier’ it costs £6,487.
The problem, of course, is that these prices won’t be set unless the organizers strongly believe that enough people will pay. They don’t care if they’re a big soccer fan or not, they just want someone with lots of disposable money.
They want tourists, corporate types, curious rich men and women, etc. And FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino are clearly confident they have enough talent to fill stadiums in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The Football Supporters Association (FSA) said in a scathing statement that “FIFA has decided to focus all its attention on the money and the elite who can afford it.” “Everything we feared about the direction in which FIFA wants to take the game has been confirmed. Infantino only sees supporter loyalty as something to be exploited for profit.”
And, worst of all, is it being exploited? How about this? If you’re an England fan and want one of three grand tickets to the final, you have until February to hand over your cash.
If England miss out, FIFA will take it back in July after several months of interest. The rip-offs are not surprising, but their scale is not.
“We are calling on the Football Association to work with our FA colleagues to directly challenge this disgraceful price,” the FSA statement continued. “We call on all national associations to stand up for their supporters. Without them, there is no professional game.”
The matter now lies with the FA and its chief executive Mark Bullingham. Having been paid £1.32 million for his work last year, Bullingham could afford a World Cup ticket. It’s time for him and his organization to stand up for the loyal England fans who can’t.
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