NEW YORK – “F***ing Fifa – I get so angry when it’s all corrupted. The World Cup is about meeting people but now the tickets go up and up – I feel sorry for those people who paid.”
In the shade of the Rockefeller Center, this Swedish fan decked head-to-toe in yellow and blue knows he is an exception to the rule. He is one of the few supporters who won a ballot for $50 tickets, with free travel thrown in. It is one of a number of schemes from the office of Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s ubiquitous mayor, to combat Fifa greed at this tournament.
Across the United States, the World Cup faces an uneasy moment. In other host cities, including in Boston just along the coast, there is a feeling the party is wrapping up already. Fan zones are closing early due to high running costs, even with matches still to be played nearby.
In New York and New Jersey the best is still to come – on 19 July MetLife Stadium will host the final. Mamdani has already announced plans for a free watch party in Central Park, alongside fan zones in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island, where all the tickets are free.
A French supporter I meet has just paid upwards of $800 for a seat in the lower bowl for the round of 32. “They should have it in Europe all the time,” he insists. “Everything is too much here – even you buy a sandwich, why is there six pieces of ham? It’s too much.”
Trump and Infantino in Washington DC (Photo: Getty)Ticket-gouging is not unique to the US – it is Fifa who set the prices – but Donald Trump’s administration has done little to fight back. On the contrary, the President has a blossoming relationship with Fifa counterpart Gianni Infantino. They take snaps together in the Oval Office.
Long before being awarded the Fifa Peace Prize weeks before launching a bombing campaign on Venezuela, Trump was given 10 tickets, valued at $15,000 (£11,200), to the Club World Cup final.
So far, Trump has been conspicuous by his absence at this summer’s tournament. He did not attend the opening ceremony, opting for other events including a UFC show at the White House. He has not been seen at a single game.
In fact, upon arriving at JFK airport, the first face you are greeted with is Mamdani’s. In the back of New York’s famous yellow taxis, there is footage on a loop shown of him with a ball, performing a rainbow flick.
Even the mayor’s burgeoning power has its limits. He has been unable to stop train companies charging close to $100 (£75) to reach the MetLife Stadium from New York, which he said was partly a “reflection of the host city agreement with Fifa” to avoid running at a loss.
He was a vocal opponent of the decision to ban supporters from taking their own water into stadiums, a policy which was eventually reversed. Across the city, mini-football pitches have been built to offer “soccer clinics” for newcomers to the game.
Mamdani in Staten Island, New York (Photo: Getty)The other man responsible for keeping the World Cup festival alive is USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino. Victory over Bosnia & Herzegovina means all three host nations – the US, Canada and Mexico – have reached the last-16, unlike in both South Africa and Qatar.
Mamdani has determined that the other point of difference from Qatar will be a drive to promote workers’ rights. Casual workers at this World Cup have been given “Know your Rights” booklets in multiple languages to prevent labour laws being flouted.
Mamdani has called it a “World Cup for everyone”, which is not strictly true – see the banned Somalian referee, the hostility to Iran players, the Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha whose mother missed the performance of his life because of a $15,000 bond imposed on citizens from the island nation. But in New York there is at least a concerted effort to make it so.
“Soccer would not exist without immigrants,” Mamdani said recently.
“Immigrants play and coach the game, work in in the stadiums, fill the stands, and make celebrations like the World Cup possible. Six of the players on the US Men’s National Team are immigrants… And as the world comes to our city, we will stand proudly with our immigrant neighbours.”
Read more
Kat Lucas: Six reasons I fear for England against Mexico Daniel Storey: I’m not convinced by the great Thomas Tuchel mythHence then, the article about the anti trump who is saving america s world cup was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( The anti-Trump who is saving America’s World Cup )
Also on site :
- Walmart on Dewey Avenue in Greece closed to the public Thursday afternoon
- Vinyl Collectors Will Love Amazon’s ‘Attractive’ Retro 9-Tier Record Player Stand
- What are Brownfields?