The World Cup is approaching, and there is controversy

With two months to go before the start of the World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, criticism of FIFA over its organization and high ticket prices continues unabated. However, Gianni Infantino, president of the world's top football body, once again defended the pricing policy during his participation in the Semafor Annual Meeting on the World Economy.

“The main and so far the only revenue-generating event for FIFA is the World Cup. The World Cup is held for one month every four years, so we generate money in one month. In the 47 months leading up to the next World Cup, we spend that money,” explained Infantino, emphasizing that the tournament is the main source of revenue for the International Federation

Infantino's argument

The leader also pointed out that, despite criticism, FIFA is a non-profit organization. “What many people don't know, because of course, we generate billions from a World Cup, is that FIFA is a non-profit organization, which means that all the revenue we generate is invested in the organization of football in the 211 member countries around the world. Three-quarters of those countries probably wouldn't be able to have organized soccer without the subsidies we provide, so we always try to find the right balance,” he added

The special market

Finally, Infantino defended the pricing strategy for the U.S. market, which he described as “very special.” “The United States has a very special market, where no one complains about ticket prices when you go to a concert or an NFL game,” he stated, expressing his conviction that the local public is prepared to pay high prices for an event that promises to be historic

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