“Football is for the supporters”, they are “the key to keeping this business going”, Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola said on Friday, when asked about the very high cost of tickets for matches and transport during the World Cup in the United States.
FIFA, organizer of the World Cup, has been accused of offering tickets at exorbitant prices despite promises made when awarding the tournament. Added to this was a controversy over transport after the surge in ticket prices, particularly on the east coast.
“Before, years ago, the World Cup was a party to celebrate football and the joy it brings, everyone traveled to the four corners of the globe, from other continents, to see their country and support it, it was affordable,” Guardiola said, when asked about the subject at a press conference. “Now it’s modern times, huh…. It’s so expensive.”
The Spanish coach added that he was not in the decision-making bodies, “so I don’t know the reason”. But he would like them to “be able to think” about the subject and find an acceptable solution because “football is for the supporters”.
“Of course you have to think about sponsors, all that kind of stuff, because otherwise it wouldn’t be viable. Everyone knows it. But the fans are the key to keeping this business going,” he added.
FIFA expects to break the historic record of 3.5 million tickets sold for a World Cup, during the 1994 edition. This summer, the tournament co-organized by the United States, Mexico and Canada welcomes 48 teams and 104 matches, including 78 on American soil.
The European Supporters’ Organization (FSE) and Euroconsumers, an organization representing consumers on the continent, announced that they had taken FIFA to the European Commission for abuse of a dominant position and to demand that it abandon its “opaque and unfair” purchasing procedures.
FIFA defended the price of these seats, determined by “crazy” demand and variable pricing depending on the match poster, according to its president Gianni Infantino.
