As it turns out, there’s a limit to the power of FIFA.
Soccer’s international governing body has managed to dictate terms to those who will be hosting World Cup matches, compelling NFL stadiums to rip up artificial turf and install acceptable grass fields. FIFA may have met its match, however, with the attorneys general of New York and New Jersey.
Via Ben Horney of Front Office Sports, New York attorney general Letitia James and New Jersey attorney general Jennifer Davenport have subpoenaed FIFA amid an investigation regarding ticketing practices that have resulted in obscene prices for eight matches to be played at MetLife Stadium. The venue also will be hosting the final game.
“New Yorkers have been waiting years for the World Cup to come to their backyard, and they deserve a fair shot at affordable tickets,” James said in a statement. “No one should be manipulated into paying sky-high prices for seats, and fans should be able to trust that the tickets they purchase will be the ones they receive.”
“Being honest about ticket sales is not complicated,” Davenport said. “But FIFA has turned buying a ticket to the World Cup into a gauntlet of confusion, fake scarcity, and impossibly high prices — all at the expense of consumers and hardworking New Jerseyans.”
The objective is to determine how FIFA developed its pricing model. It will be interesting to see whether FIFA fully cooperates, or whether it attempts to obstruct and/or delay the process.
It’s one thing for market dynamics to dictate price. It’s another thing for games to be played in order to gouge consumers and to freeze out those who can’t afford to pay the exorbitant prices.
