- A prominent ticket resale platform, SeatGeek, has vehemently denied allegations of colluding with Fifa over World Cup tickets, following claims of unusual bulk sales appearing on its site.
- Professor Florian Ederer of Boston University highlighted large blocks of tickets for a specific match on SeatGeek, alleging this indicated Fifa was 'colluding with third-party resale platforms for its own supply management'.
- SeatGeek responded to the Press Association, stating it is a trusted marketplace and does not have a partnership or distribution agreement with Fifa, which has been contacted for comment regarding the claims.
- The social media posts further suggested tickets were 'dumped in bulk onto secondary markets, at prices below Fifa’s official site', potentially to avoid demands for refunds or charge-backs if primary ticket prices were subsequently lowered.
- This controversy adds to existing criticism Fifa has faced over its World Cup ticket pricing and dynamic strategy, with Fifa president Gianni Infantino previously defending the prices as justified for the North American market.
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