(Fixes typo in headline)
July 3 (Reuters) – Match tickets originally bought by England fans for Sunday’s World Cup last-16 clash against Mexico have been relisted for thousands of pounds on FIFA’s official resale portal, drawing sharp criticism from supporter groups.
England’s Football Association (FA) confirmed the tickets were initially secured by members of the England Supporters’ Travel Club via a ballot in December. The tickets for the Azteca Stadium clash became eligible for resale on Wednesday after England confirmed their progress with a 2-1 victory over DR Congo.
The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) strongly condemned the pricing.
“FIFA has deliberately designed an online exchange which allows tickets to be sold at vastly inflated prices with world football’s governing body grabbing 15% of the money from both the buyer and the seller,” the FSA said in a statement to the BBC. “While we have always called out FIFA for ripping off fans at this World Cup, we can’t excuse supporters who choose to tout their own tickets at ridiculous prices either.”
FIFA had defended the system in an earlier statement.
“FIFA’s variable pricing ticketing approach aligns with industry trends across various sports and entertainment sectors where the price is adapted to optimise sales and attendance, ensuring fair market value for events,” world soccer’s ruling body said.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk, editing by Ed Osmond)
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