N.J. Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said that the state “intends to continue investigating FIFA’s ticketing practices” following Sunday’s conclusion of the men’s World Cup at MetLife Stadium, according to Adam Crafton of THE ATHLETIC. In May, N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James and Davenport launched an investigation into FIFA’s World Cup ticketing practices and sent subpoenas to global soccer’s governing body following a build-up to the competition “dominated by fan frustration over its approach, pricing and transparency regarding ticket sales.” A news release by the AGs “cited complaints from supporters,” which included those who “felt misled by stadium maps over the location of their tickets, FIFA’s use of variable pricing, the perception of scarcity in available tickets, as well as FIFA’s invention of a higher-tiered and higher-priced ‘front’ row category after millions of tickets had already been sold.” Davenport said that the largely full stadiums during the World Cup “has not diminished her appetite to examine whether fans were misled or poorly treated by FIFA.” Davenport added that “it is ‘too early’ to talk about the relief or penalties that could be imposed on FIFA, but that her office is investigating ‘to make sure that fans and consumers aren’t being exploited’” (THE ATHLETIC, 7/17).
SEEKING CLARITY: The FINANCIAL TIMES’ Josh Noble wrote much of FIFA’s revenue growth “has come through ticketing and hospitality.” As well as “charging far higher prices for match tickets than at previous World Cups,” FIFA launched its own resale platform and took a 15% cut from both buyer and seller on every transaction, “prompting outrage from fan groups and disquiet from regulators.” At least three U.S. states have launched investigations into whether the governing body’s ticketing broke local consumer protection laws. European law would “probably make a repeat of some of Fifa’s ticketing practices at the next World Cup in Spain, Portugal and Morocco impossible.” Football Supporters Europe, an umbrella group representing fans, is part of a lobbying effort to “have the rules tightened even further -- such as outlawing dynamic pricing for live events” -- as part of the EU’s Digital Fairness Act. The impact of similar legislation “was felt in Canada during the current World Cup.” The province of Ontario bars the resale of tickets above face value -- so tickets for games held in Toronto “saw scant reselling compared with those in other host cities” (FINANCIAL TIMES, 7/19).
