Public pressure has forced Fifa to introduce a cheaper ticket tier for the fast-approaching 2026 soccer World Cup. This revision will see a selected number of supporters from various qualified countries pay just $60 (approximately) for matches at the tournament.
About three years ago, Fifa president Gianni Infantino delivered a moving monologue on the importance of inclusivity. Infantino's speech came amid criticism of 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar and their poor record when it came to human rights issues.
"Today I feel Arabic. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel [like] a migrant worker" Infantino said in November 2022.
"Of course I am not Qatari, I am not an Arab, I am not African, I am not gay, I am not disabled. But I feel like it. Because I know what it means to be discriminated [against], to be bullied, as a foreigner in a foreign country. As a child I was bullied - because I had red hair and freckles, plus I was Italian. So, imagine," said the Swiss-Italian.
Exclusive World Cup prices
How ironic then that he would head the organising of a World Cup campaign that has all the hallmarks of being one of the most exclusionary in history. From exorbitant ticket prices to the US government's super stringent foreign policy, the upcoming tournament seems to go against everything Infantino said three years ago.
Fifa has of course moved...
