How FIFA’s plan to sell World Cup stakes could skyrocket ticket prices even further

FIFA’s power to overrule and change football is boundless. Led by Gianni Infantino, the governing body of the world’s most popular sport simply clicked its fingers and changed the rules. During the recent World Cup, so-called ‘hydration breaks’ were added in each half, and the length of the half-time pause in the final was almost doubled. No consultation was had, no meetings called to ask for pros and cons, likes and dislikes, concerns or queries. Just one simple, swift movement: and it was done.

FIFA’s power is unlimited, and so, it appears, is their ability to stick their foot in it.

The announcement that the World Cup was to be sold off to private investors in a deal worth literally tens of billions of dollars came as a shock, and surprise, and a sad conclusion to the farce we saw plastered across the United States this summer. World Cup games in Mexico and Canada provided a brief glint of light through the cloud and reminded us what football can be when it is propelled by the fans, not golden ornaments, troglodytic politics, and the pursuit of increasingly-important handshakes. When the fun of the Azteca and BMO Field was quickly stripped away and we were fed the final mouthfuls of what was left of the tournament in the States, it rapidly felt easier to just close your eyes and swallow than to focus on the taste of what might have been.

The idea from FIFA is to create a new commercial arm of the body, FIFA Forward Enterprise, which will be in charge of raising a reported $20 billion from private investors in exchange for a stake in the World Cup. FFE is said to include ticketing, meaning that prices fans will pay will increase in order to help towards the fundraising. We caught a glimpse of such hikes this summer with dynamic pricing, forcing tickets into the tens of thousands of dollars and keeping out working-class fans.

Licensing, which includes items such as trading cards, video games, and other memorabilia and collectibles, are all included in FFE’s plans, as are television rights. You don’t need me patronising you by explaining that this won’t make these things cheaper.

Selling stakes in soccer has caused a backlash from all four corners of the globe. Both UEFA and CONCACAF have come out against the idea, with the former threatening a boycott of future tournaments if FIFA’s decision is not reversed. Where this ultimately ends up is anyone’s guess, but right now football needs to link arms and take a stand against the danger posed by the greed at the top.

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