Fifa asks fans mistakenly issued free World Cup tickets to re-buy at full price

Fifa has canceled World Cup tickets issued to about 60 fans who mistakenly got them for free because of a website error, and soccer’s governing body is now asking for them to be paid in full. The tickets were “allocated at no charge [0 USD] due to a prior payment issue during the checkout process,” Fifa said in a statement Thursday. “Fifa regrets the error and any inconvenience caused,” it said. “The tickets requested by these fans remain reserved, and the affected fans have been invited to complete payment of the correct amount.” It is the latest glitch in an often controversial World Cup ticketing program that the attorneys general of New York and New Jersey are investigating for possible violations of consumer protection laws. The mispriced tickets were sold through the official World Cup site on 21 May, Fifa said in an email message to buyers. That date was more than three months after Fifa president Gianni Infantino said all 104 World Cup games had sold out. Tickets are still being sold by Fifa for games at the World Cup, which opens next Thursday in Mexico City. It is unclear if seats for games in less demand will drop in price under Fifa’s surge pricing model that has been controversial for fans. Fifa also is operating its own resale platform – and taking 15% commission from both buyers and sellers – in order to cut out ticket dealers from the market. However, sales platforms such as Seat Geek were offering widespread availability Friday for many games. …