Brazil’s Minister of Sport complained to Fifa about high prices contemplated for next year’s World Cup, and said football’s governing body will give 50,000 free tickets to poor communities and make half-price seats available to the elderly and students.
Fifa said last week it will announce prices on July 1 for the next year tournament and ticket sales will start August 20. For the 2010 World Cup, prices were announced in November 2007 and sales started in February 2009.
Non-premium prices for the 2010 tournament in South Africa ranged from US$70-US$450 for the opener and US$20-US$160 for other first-round matches, and escalated to US$150-US$900 for the final.
During an interview on Tuesday, Aldo Rebelo said prices for the tournament in Brazil, to be played from June 12-July 14, became an issue.
“I spoke with Fifa representatives, stating that this was unacceptable, that the prices were so high,” he said through a translator. “This is really a celebration of the people of Brazil. Soccer is very important for the whole population in Brazil. So I mentioned to Fifa representatives, how about that part of the population that cannot afford those expensive tickets?”
The US Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook estimates Brazil’s per capita income at US$12,000 last July 1, ranked 106th among nations. Qatar, the 2022 World Cup host, is first at US$102,800 and the United States is 15th at US$49,800.
“Fifa has donated 50,000 tickets to these poor communities and Indigenous communities,” Rebelo said. “And also we have 50 per cent discount for the elderly population and for students.”