Starmer slams Fifa over ‘unacceptable’ World Cup ticket prices as he urges action to stop fans being ‘ripped off’
Sir Keir Starmer has condemned FIFA over World Cup ticket prices, describing the situation as “unacceptable” and calling on football’s governing body to ensure fans are not “defrauded”.
The Prime Minister’s intervention followed widespread complaints from fans who claimed they were misled about seat locations and that FIFA’s public statements and ticket announcements had contributed to rising costs.
Concerns about fan abuse also prompted the attorneys general of New York and New Jersey to demand a response from FIFA. They claim that the organization “artificially inflated prices” and “misled fans” regarding match ticket sales.
Speaking to The Sun, Sir Keir stressed the priority of fans.
“Football fans must come first, so I’m calling on FIFA to take action to ensure people buying World Cup tickets are not defrauded,” he said.
“In less than two weeks, thousands of passionate fans will travel to the USA, Canada and Mexico to cheer on England and Scotland. It is unacceptable that fans are exploited just because they want to support their country on the biggest stage.”
The Arsenal fan’s latest criticism comes after his latest call for broadcaster TNT Sports to make Saturday’s Champions League final available free-to-air, expressing disappointment that the competition is not accessible to all English football fans.
We have previously reported that fans were being deceived by more expensive “preliminary” category tickets going on sale after the initial sales of the World Cup.
It is also claimed that changing pricing at different stages and in response to demand allowed Fifa to increase prices for around 90 of 104 fixtures by an average of 34 per cent.
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and her New York counterpart Letitia James specifically requested details of ticketing practices for eight World Cup matches being held in New Jersey, including England’s group match against Panama on June 27 and the World Cup final on July 19.
Their research will examine how ticket release schedules and public statements affect prices.
An exchange of views was held with Fifa due to this summer’s tournament starting on June 11.
