THE WORLD CUP RIP-OFF: RIO FERDINAND UNDER FIRE FROM ENGLAND FANS AFTER 'ACCESSIBLE' PRICES PLEDGE
Football fans' wallets are being bled dry for the World Cup in a direct contradiction of promises made when the hosts submitted their bid.
Supporters were originally told that they could buy tickets for as little as $21 (£15.69) but FIFA say the cheapest seats available to England fans for the matches against Ghana and Panama will now cost $220 (£164).
The original prices were put forward in the USA, Canada, and Mexico's bid book in 2018 and were only intended to be projections.
And Rio Ferdinand has come under fire after claiming to be a 'man of the people' while helping FIFA with their lavish draw last week.
The Manchester United legend insisted FIFA were 'working towards' making the tournament 'accessible' but current evidence suggests that effort has failed. It must be stressed that Ferdinand is not involved in setting the ticket prices and any criticism from fans comes only by his association with FIFA in the draw.
FIFA's prices have been described as a 'monumental betrayal' by the fan group Football Supporters Europe (FSE).
FSE have even called on FIFA to halt ticket sales, which they say are priced 'extortionately'.
Daily Mail Sport has contacted FIFA for comment.
For the first World Cup ever, FIFA have introduced a dynamic pricing policy rather than set costs across games.
That means that the ticket prices can be changed by FIFA depending on the demand there is for a particular game.
Ferdinand explained: 'FIFA are conscious, the powers that be there [of making things affordable].
'We can look at every industry, every sector, and have that conversation about things. It's more about making sure that there's a product there that's super-elite that matches what's on the pitch, so everyone can feel that it's justified, taking the time out, working hard to go ad get my tickets.
'I'm a man of the people. I'm from a place where we were always hoping for things to be accessible. The people behind the scenes at FIFA are working towards something like that. Whether they get there remains to be seen.'
Ferdinand grew up on a council estate in Peckham, south London.
Clearly his words have done little to soothe fans, with one asking on X: 'Rio, is $4185 for the cheapest final ticket available to the England travel club members “accessible”?'
Another said: 'It’s become a corporate gig. For the few, not the many.'
For England fans, the pricing is bad news. Currently, the cheapest way to watch all eight of their possible games would be by spending $6,822 (£5,100) - around five times as much as it did for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Taking the most expensive regular seats on the way to the final, fans would have to spend a colossal $16,590 (£12,403).
The tier category of tickets, category four, is not available to England supporters travelling over. These are typically reserved for residents of the host nation.
Due to the limited number of tickets, fans may find themselves forced to spend in a higher category than they would ideally like.
The cheapest seats England fans can get at the final are now $4,185 (£3,127). Back in 2018, it looked like the least expensive final tickets would be $128 (£95.66).
'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,' FSE said in a statement.
'This is a monumental betrayal of the tradition of the World Cup, ignoring the contribution of supporters to the spectacle it is.
'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.'
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