Let's
start with the numbers. 48 teams, 1,248 players, 104 matches, three host
nations,
16 stadiums spanning nearly 3,000 m. By several measures, this is the biggest
World Cup there's been. For
FIFA's
Yiani Infantino, it's about making the game truly global. But what are the
costs and challenges facing this tournament? First, there's the heat.
This
year is expected to be one of the hottest on record. According to one
assessment of this World Cup, temperatures are set to reach
potentially
dangerous levels, that's 28° or above, at 14 of the 16 stadiums. The players
will get cooling breaks in each
half
and the benches are climate controlled. But a group of scientists has told FIFA
its heat protection measures are inadequate.
As
for fans, FIFA had banned bringing reusable water bottles to games. But
following criticism, FIFA now says fans
can
bring sealed disposable water bottles. More broadly, it says it's committed to
protecting the health and safety of players, referees, fans,
volunteers,
and staff. Next, there's cost. Take rail tickets. The Metife Stadium in New
Jersey is hosting eight
games,
including the final. A normal return fair from New York is about $13.
For
World Cup matches, it's 98. The long journeys between venues also bring costs.
And then there's the ticket
prices.
The first open sale for the final showed prices up to $11,000.
That's
nearly seven times the most expensive ticket for the final in Qatar four years
ago. And it's not just the final that's more expensive. It's all
the
games. Jeani Infantino argues we have to apply market rates, adding if prices
were too low, they'd [music] be
resold
at a much higher price. This week he again defended the ticketing and claimed
demand is unprecedented by a
factor
of 10 or more. Whatever the rights and wrongs for fans this is the most
expensive World Cup there's been and some games have yet to [music] sell
out.
Next there's the environmental impact. In its plans for the tournament, FIFA
says it's aiming to [music] reduce
environmental
impacts and raise climate awareness. But it's estimated that this World Cup
will have twice the reported
emissions
of the last one with 87% of those emissions coming from fans journeys in part
because of the location
of
the venues. I can't finish without mentioning President Trump. [music]
Remember, he was given FIFA's first ever
peace
prize last year, not long before he started a war with Iran. Donald Trump has
long sought to restrict who can come
into
America, [music] and that's having consequences for this tournament. For
example, Iran and Haiti face comprehensive restrictions introduced
last
year. Players and staff are exempt, but not their fans. Somalia is also on
that
list. This is Somali referee Omar Artan. Last year, he was men's referee of the
year in Africa, but he's been
denied
entry. [music] A US official says it was because of his association with
suspected members of terror organizations, [music] but provided no evidence at
all to support such claims.
Asked
about this decision, Johnny Infantino said, "We don't control
everything." And [music] added this, "Maybe sometimes it's good as
well to
just,
you know, chill, relax." More broadly, the BBC has [music] found that fans
from more than a quarter of the
countries
at this World Cup are facing travel bans, tighter restrictions, or high visa
rejection rates. President
Trump
likes being center stage. We saw that at the Club World Cup last year, and in
many different ways, from
appearances
to social media posts, we should expect the same this time. The matches at this
World Cup will, of
course,
demand our attention. So will President Trump.
https://youtu.be/mmHij2a151M?si=ZKsP4uppdfIoWJ0r
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