FIFA has admitted that an error on its website allowed about 60 fans to purchase World Cup tickets for free, forcing the football governing body to cancel the affected tickets and ask the fans to repurchase them at full price.
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The development came less than a week before the World Cup, which is being hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico, kicks off on Thursday, June 11.
In a statement, FIFA confirmed that approximately 60 fans received communication on Wednesday, June 3, concerning tickets that had been allocated at no charge due to a prior payment issue during the checkout process.
The governing body said it regretted any inconvenience caused, adding that the affected tickets had been cancelled because they carried incorrect prices.
A social media account, Ticket Talk Network, which tracks ticketing errors, shared a letter indicating that the affected fans had been given seven days to pay for the tickets before they would be removed from their accounts.
The tickets were reportedly for group-stage matches in Toronto.
The latest glitch adds to a series of ticketing challenges facing FIFA ahead of the tournament. Although the organisation had promised that the event would be sold out, tickets are still available just days before kick-off.
Last week, the attorneys general of New York and New Jersey opened an investigation into FIFA’s ticketing practices following allegations of artificially inflated prices and misleading treatment of fans.
FIFA is using a system known as variable pricing for ticket sales, allowing ticket prices to change during sales phases depending on demand and availability.
The final open sales window began in April, with FIFA stating at the time that more tickets could be released up to the start of the tournament.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of Congo has criticised the cancellation of its scheduled friendly match against Chile in Spain over concerns linked to the Ebola outbreak in the African country.
The match was scheduled for June 9 in La Línea de la Concepción, southern Spain, as part of DR Congo’s preparations for upcoming international competitions, including the World Cup.
However, local authorities cancelled the fixture on public health grounds.
The mayor of La Línea de la Concepción, Juan Franco, said he signed a decree banning the match following a recommendation from local health officials.
According to him, a report from the town’s health service advised against staging the match because of potential health risks.
DR Congo’s national team had been training in Belgium ahead of its World Cup campaign. Reports indicated that none of the 26 players was based in DR Congo or travelled directly from the country to the training camp, although some support staff and supporters may have done so.
Reacting to the cancellation, DR Congo’s Minister of Communication, Patrick Muyaya, described the decision as unfair.
Speaking during a virtual press conference organised by the World Health Organisation, Muyaya said the cancellation had disrupted the team’s preparations.
He noted that the players had been training in Belgium for about three weeks and argued that the decision could be interpreted as discriminatory.
The two developments have added to the off-field controversies surrounding preparations for the World Cup, from ticketing complaints and pricing investigations to public health concerns affecting participating teams.
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