FIFA president defends World Cup ticket prices, says fans 'should chill' about ref denied U.S. entry

FIFA president defends World Cup ticket prices, says fans 'should chill' about ref denied U.S. entry

'If we are doing something wrong, everyone in North America is doing something wrong,' says Gianni Infantino

FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended World Cup ticket prices, saying Wednesday "if we are doing something wrong, everyone in North America is doing something wrong."

FIFA priced tickets starting at $140 US for the 48-nation, 104-game tournament that starts Thursday and priced regular seats up to $8,680 for the July 19 final in New Jersey. It raised prices for the final to $10,990 and then $32,970. After criticism, FIFA offered a small amount of $60 tickets to national federations for their regular supporters.

Infantino said the average ticket price was under $500 for the tournament and was comparable to other U.S. sports during their playoffs, a claim that while true for resale prices does not appear to be accurate for list prices. He said he was unconcerned about investigations by attorneys general in California, New Jersey, New York and Texas.

Infantino said that the secondary ticket market is beyond his organization's control when it comes to the large prices fans are seeing for World Cup games. He pointed to the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs as an example of how other major American sporting events are experiencing a similar surge in prices.

"We are very relaxed about it because before starting to sell 6.5 million or 7 million tickets we check what we do with the best lawyers," he said. "We welcome every investigation."

Infantino says FIFA is powerless to get U.S. entry for denied Somali referee

Infantino said it was "unfortunate" that Somali referee Omar Artan was denied entry to the U.S. and said people "should chill."

He said FIFA cannot dictate to governments who to let into their countries, though it is working "behind the scenes."

"We always try to make the situation as positive as possible and to find solutions," he said. "Sometimes we manage, other times not."

"We don't live on the moon, we live on planet Earth," he said.

He thinks FIFA deserves credit for ensuring Iran's participation

Infantino praised FIFA for working through details that allow Iran to play in the tournament at a time the U.S. is at war with Iran. The Iranian team moved its training camp from the U.S. to Mexico and will fly to the U.S. before matches.

"I don't know who else would have been able to ensure in these circumstances ... Iran could come and play," Infantino said.

Infantino claimed the tournament will be "the biggest event probably in the history of mankind."