Why FIFA Withdrew Free World Cup Tickets and Asked Fans to Pay

FIFA has taken back free World Cup tickets sent to 60 fans after a website fault, the BBC reported.

The fans will now have to pay the full cost if they still want the tickets, FIFA said. The tickets were first issued at zero charge because of a glitch during the payment stage.

“FIFA can confirm that around 60 supporters received notice on Wednesday, June 3 about tickets that were allocated at no cost due to a problem with payment,” the body said. It added that it “is sorry for any issues caused”.

Ticket Talk Network, a social media account that flags ticketing errors, shared a notice showing the fans have one week to pay. If they do not, the tickets will be removed from their accounts. The tickets were for early round games in Toronto.

The World Cup kicks off on Thursday, June 11 in Canada, the United States and Mexico.

The error adds to FIFA’s ticketing troubles. Although FIFA earlier said the event would be a sell-out, seats remain unsold less than a week before the first match.

Last week, the top lawyers for New York and New Jersey launched a probe into how FIFA sells tickets. They are checking claims that FIFA “raised prices without reason” and “gave fans wrong information”.

FIFA sells tickets using ‘variable pricing’. Under this system, prices shift during the sales period based on how many people want tickets and how many are left.

The last round of public ticket sales started in April. FIFA said then that new tickets could still be put on sale right up to the start of games.

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