Attorneys general in New York and New Jersey announced an investigation into FIFA ticketing practices for World Cup matches, including those at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. They sent subpoenas seeking information on variable pricing models that increased ticket prices for most matches. They also sought details on stadium map redraws that fans say moved seats far from the pitch. The investigation centers on whether FIFA’s ticketing practices violated consumer protection laws. The announcement follows FIFA’s prior legal troubles, including a 2015 U.S. Department of Justice indictment of FIFA officials and marketing executives over alleged corruption involving broadcasting and marketing rights. The current focus is on ticketing practices and consumer impacts.
"The attorneys general in New York and New Jersey, which is hosting eight World Cup matches including the final, announced Tuesday that they are investigating whether FIFA's ticketing practices violated consumer protection laws. They have sent subpoenas to soccer's global governing body demanding information on a range of ticketing issues, including FIFA's use of "variable pricing" models that sent ticket prices soaring for most matches and redrawn stadium maps that fans say relocated their seats far from the pitch."
""New Yorkers have been waiting years for the World Cup to come to their backyard, and they deserve a fair shot at affordable tickets," New York Attorney General Letitia James said. "No one should be manipulated into paying sky-high prices for seats, and fans should be able to trust that the tickets they purchase will be the ones they receive.""
"In May 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted nine FIFA officials and five sports marketing executives on charges of racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering - one of the most sweeping corruption prosecutions in the history of professional sports. The charges, built over years by federal investigators, alleged that officials had accepted more than $150 million in bribes in exchange for broadcasting and marketing rights to major soccer tournaments. Several officials pleaded guilty; FIFA's longtime president Sepp Blatter resigned within days."
"A decade later, these two attorneys general, working with the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, say they are focused primarily on ticketing practices for matches at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The investigation seeks information on ticketing issues tied to pricing changes and seat location changes that fans say worsened the deals they received."
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