World Cup fans heading to the New Jersey stadium will pay over 10 times the normal fare for a special train, sparking outrage and a blame game between officials and FIFA.
WORLD Cup fans face paying $150 for a special round-trip train ticket between New York and the Meadowlands stadium, a more than tenfold increase on the normal fare.
The pricing for the 36-mile journey to the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which will host the tournament final and seven other matches, was announced by local transit officials.
NJ Transit President and CEO Kris Kolluri confirmed the $150 fare, stating it would apply for travel from New York to the stadium and back.
Only 40,000 train tickets will be available for the eight matches at the venue, which usually hosts the New York Jets and Giants NFL teams.
Driving will be even more expensive, with limited parking at the stadium costing $225 per space.
New York resident Guy Dixon told AFP the pricing was “an embarrassment and shame, and it’s taking advantage of the fans.”
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill defended the policy on social media, blaming FIFA for contributing “zero dollars towards transporting World Cup fans.”
She said the host city agreement with FIFA “eliminated parking” at the stadium, forcing the rail service to transport four times as many fans as usual.
“This agreement will cost NJ TRANSIT at least $48 million, while FIFA is positioned to make $11 billion during the World Cup,” Sherrill added.
US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also called on FIFA to cover transport costs to World Cup venues.
FIFA’s World Cup chief operating officer Heimo Schirgi called New Jersey’s move “unprecedented” and rejected the demand to absorb the costs.
“No other global event, concert or major sporting promoter has faced such a demand,” Schirgi stated.
He clarified that FIFA’s projected $11 billion is revenue, not profit, and emphasised the organisation’s not-for-profit status.
FIFA said original host city agreements “required free transportation for fans to all matches,” citing the free Doha Metro in Qatar 2022.
A renegotiation later stipulated transport should be offered “at cost” on match days.
The French supporters’ group “Irresistibles Francais” called the pricing “completely insane.”
Spokesman Guillaume Aupretre said, “Every day there’s bad news about transportation — you really have to wonder how far this madness is going to go.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul also criticised the reported price hike on social media.
“Charging over $100 for a short train ride sounds awfully high to me,” Hochul wrote.
According to local media, $100 million in US federal funding has been allocated to host cities for transit, including $10.4 million for the New York-New Jersey area.
England’s Football Supporters’ Association chief Thomas Concannon told the BBC “every single thing coming out of this tournament so far is just fans getting fleeced.”
“The price is obviously astronomical in terms of what you would expect to pay going to a match,” he said.
