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The original was posted on /r/soccer by /u/Sparky-moon on 2026-01-23 05:53:23+00:00.
Original Title: Gianni Infantino slammed for ‘cheap joke’ about British football fans. Football Supporters’ Association tells Fifa president to ‘concentrate on making cheap tickets’ after remark about lack of arrests at 2022 World Cup in Qatar
He also defended the ticket pricing policy for the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico, which has led to Fifa being accused of greed by fans’ groups.
“When the ball started rolling and the magic started we had virtually no incidents,” Infantino said of the 2022 tournament. “For the first time in history also, no Brit was arrested during a World Cup.Imagine! This is something really, really special.
“So it was a celebration, it was a party, and the next one in the United States, Canada and Mexico will be exactly the same. People want occasions to meet, to come together, to spend time, to celebrate and this is what we try to give them.”
In response to Infantino’s remarks the Football Supporters’ Association said: “While we’ve got Mr Infantino’s attention, we’d like to point out that, rather than making cheap jokes about our fans, he should concentrate on making cheap tickets.”
Fifa has made a small number of tickets available for $60 for each match, but the vast majority of tickets for the final will cost at least $4,185 (£3,100).
“The tickets are not cheap,” Infantino added. “We were hammered. I was hammered, I should say, because of the ticket prices, because they are so expensive. And the main critics were from Germany and England, of course. Now, No 1 in ticket requests is the US. No 2, Germany. No 3, England, because everyone wants to come and to participate.”
Fifa has not released details of how the demand for tickets is spread between the 104 matches or cost categories, but Infantino claimed: “Every match will be sold out.”
Infantino also admitted that “tickets will probably be resold at even higher prices” on Fifa’s resale platform.