‘A World Cup for them, not us’

Ian Pattison, Enfield and Lea Valley Socialist Party

Is this the most political World Cup ever? ‘A World Cup for them, not us’.

It’s certainly the most expensive World Cup ever. The football tournament is taking place in the US, Canada, and Mexico.

“I wouldn’t pay it”, was US President Donald Trump’s response, when asked about astronomical ticket prices. The cheapest ticket for the opening match was $560. Many World Cup final tickets cost $9,000.

‘Too low’

Out-of-touch Gianni Infantino, president of football governing body FIFA, has defended these outrageous prices. He says ‘resale’ is common in the US. So if the price “is too low, these tickets will be resold at a much higher price.” But some resale tickets for the final were selling at $2 million. Infantino has defended this too.

Pricing out working-class fans means that, despite unprecedented demand, tickets are still available at 86 of the tournament’s 104 matches – 180,000 tickets as the World Cup starts.

Facing backlash, FIFA was forced to introduce a handful of ‘cheap’ $60 tickets. But so few of those were available that you had to zoom way in to see that section of the stadiums on ticket websites. They were immediately sold out.

Football’s origin is in working-class communities – ‘the people’s game’. But football on the basis of free-market capitalism is far from that today.

We don’t have democratic control of our sport by fans, players, staff, and local communities, like there should be. Instead, rich FIFA executives want to host their tournaments in countries where profit isn’t curtailed, hard-won rights can be cast aside, and democratic scrutiny is minimal or non-existent. Recent and future World Cup hosts include Russia, Qatar, US, and Saudi Arabia.

It can feel like football fans have no power. But fan and player protest beat the profiteering breakaway Super League in 2020.

FIFA’s price gouging in this World Cup is being challenged in the US courts. The US initially promised free public transport in its World Cup bid. But that concession has been reversed.

New Jersey initially increased rail prices by 1100% for football fans. The right-wing New Jersey Democrat governor is under pressure from New York’s new left-wing populist mayor, Zohran Mamdani. He has set aside tickets for poorer New Yorkers, and is putting on free showings of World Cup games.

New Jersey has now been forced to reduce rail prices. Although, they’re still far higher than normal. Some Democrat cities haven’t dared touch transport fares, fearing backlash.

Some say: “Keep politics out of football”. But, under capitalism, it is political.

Trump is growing unpopular in the US. And his racist deportation policies are abhorrent to working-class football fans.

Half a million people in the US have been rounded up by Trump’s ICE agents. With ICE agents murdering two protesters in January. ICE is now helping with tournament security.

Deported

Thousands and thousands of football fans from around the world have been denied entry into the US to watch the World Cup. Even football referee Omar Artan, who is from Somalia, and was due to work at the World Cup, has been barred. FIFA has defended the US’s right to do this.

World Cups are becoming more political. There was a time when the political discussion would stop when the football kicked off, like in 2018. But that’s changed.

Football fans live in the same world as all of us. A capitalist system that’s incapable of providing for the vast majority. Whether that’s jobs, homes, and services, or access to the beautiful game.