The 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup has come under fire for exorbitant ticket prices, with final tickets reportedly fetching over $2 million. Longtime gaming and sports executive Peter Moore blames dynamic pricing and greed for the situation.
"Dynamic pricing doesn't belong in the World Cup and football," Moore told Al Jazeera. "It works with music, but for the World Cup, there are hundreds of thousands of people booking trips in advance. They're asking themselves, 'Do we want to visit and pay $2,000 for a third-tier game, Saudi Arabia versus whomever?' And FIFA taking a 30 percent cut of dynamic pricing is outrageous."
The 71-year-old former CEO of Liverpool FC (2017-2020) has been calling out FIFA President Gianni Infantino in interviews and on social media. "Gianni Infantino misread the situation and thought he could get away with it," Moore said. "Now, tickets are in the hands of bots and speculators, who don't intend to go to games. They are harvesting tickets and hoping they can sell them in the next six to eight weeks, and I don't see that happening."
Moore also highlighted gloomy aspects of the US-hosted tournament, including high prices for tickets and transportation, visa difficulties, and the threat of ICE agents targeting fans. "It's the world's game, but who is this World Cup for if the world can't get in?" he asked.
According to Moore, FIFA is leveraging unique commercial opportunities in the US, including legal dynamic pricing and secondary market resales, to maximize profit. "FIFA is a nonprofit, built to serve players and fans of the world. That's its remit, not to be like a commercial organization and maximize the opportunity to make as much money as possible," he said.
FIFA expects to gross $3 billion from ticketing and hospitality sales alone. Infantino has defended high prices, stating the tournament is FIFA's only source of income and that revenue is reinvested to develop football in all 211 member nations.
Moore advised fans to monitor the resale market close to game times. "I'd just watch, and as the weeks go on, if tickets aren't moving, the secondary market will come down. But to a reasonable price? I don't know. It's the regular fans that create the excitement at the World Cup, from Brazil, Colombia, Africa. How are they going to afford to travel and come to games when it's $1,000, $2,000, $3,000 [per ticket]. Who's got that kind of money?" he concluded.
Source: www.aljazeera.com