FIFA urged to stop WC ticket sales after “extortionate” prices revealed

FIFA has been pushed to stop selling World Cup tickets after it was discovered that the most devoted supporters of certain nations were having to pay “extortionate” rates for them, with the cheapest final ticket costing more than £3,000 ($4,000).

In its participant member association (PMA) allocation, which is intended to be made available to supporters who attend the most games, the Croatian federation released information on the cost of tickets at set rather than variable prices.

However, the most affordable tickets for the July 19 final were published by the Croatian FA at $4,185 (£3,120) each.

FIFA’s strategy was called a “monumental betrayal” of fans by Football Supporters Europe (FSE). According to the information it currently has, supporters would have to pay €6,900 ($8,111) to attend every game through the PMA allotment, which is five times more than they would have spent to attend the previous finals in Qatar.

“Football Supporters Europe is astonished by the extortionate ticket prices imposed by FIFA on the most dedicated supporters for next year’s FIFA World Cup,” a statement said.

“This is a monumental betrayal of the tradition of the World Cup, ignoring the contribution of supporters to the spectacle it is,” the statement continued.

“We call on FIFA to immediately halt PMA ticket sales, engage in a consultation with all impacted parties, and review ticket prices and category distribution until a solution that respects the tradition, universality, and cultural significance of the World Cup is found,” the statement further added.