FIFA should have ‘copied’ England World Cup ticket ploy after FA reveal

FIFA should have followed the FA’s example and held back some sections of World Cup tickets until 24 hours before kick-off for some big matches. 

That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that FIFA are instead viewing the tournament as their “biggest commercial fundraising opportunity.”

This comes after news that the FA are withholding the cheapest £45 band of England tickets until the day before each Three Lions game, in a bid to avoid resale prices skyrocketing. 

Wyness has hailed the English governing body for their ploy, and believes that FIFA have lost sight of the experiences for fans from around the world that make the World Cup so special.

Ticket prices have been a source of major controversy in the opening stages of the tournament, with multiple reports of fans paying well in excess of $1000 for tickets to a single group stage match. 

The FA have been working hard to try to avoid that scenario playing out for England games, and have received plenty of praise for their latest scheme. 

Keith Wyness: FIFA should have preserved the ‘spirit’ of football

Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that FIFA should have “done more” to preserve the “spirit of football,” and not allow ticket prices to have climbed so high. 

He suggested that the governing body have shown a lack of “common sense” in the way that they have handled elements of the tournament so far, with the ticket pricing the main concern. 

Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness made it clear that FIFA should have tried to replicate the FA’s scheme where possible. 

“I'm afraid with FIFA, it doesn't always mean there is common sense. FIFA look at this purely as their biggest commercial fundraising opportunity,” he said.

“I do think they could have done more to preserve the spirit of football though. And I do think the FA in this case, have got something to show FIFA, and I think it would have been right for FIFA to have done that.

“They're forgetting just how important the fan bases are, and I think they could have avoided a lot of criticism if they had managed to do that sort of policy. As much as I'm critical about the FA, that's one they have got right, and FIFA could have copied that.”

How much have FIFA’s partners profited from the hydration breaks?

The newly-introduced hydration breaks in the middle of each half have also been a major source of controversy, and some companies have made significant profits from them. 

Former FIFA referee Keith Hackett told Football Insider earlier this week that he ahs heard from an American contact that TV company Fox have netted over £186million from the adverts that they have shown during the intervals. 

British TV companies BBC and ITV have refused to show adverts during the three-minute breaks, but the story is completely different in the USA. 

Fox are providing the main coverage of the tournament on the other side of the Atlantic, where adverts have become commonplace during the hydration breaks.