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FIFA Prez Defends High World Cup Ticket Prices

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FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Tuesday defended World Cup ticket prices, insisting that football’s global governing body was obliged to take advantage of US laws that allow tickets to be resold for thousands of dollars above face value.

 

FIFA has faced searing criticism over the cost of World Cup tickets, with fan organization Football Supporters Europe (FSE) branding the pricing structure “extortionate” and a “monumental betrayal”.

FSE filed a lawsuit with the European Commission in March targeting FIFA over “excessive ticket prices” for the tournament.

FIFA’s own World Cup resale website, FIFA Marketplace, last week advertised four tickets to the July 19 final in New York at a cost of more than $2 million each.

Speaking at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, Infantino said the eye-watering prices reflected demand to watch the World Cup.

“If some people put on the resale market, some tickets for the final at $2 million, number one it doesn’t mean that the tickets cost $2 million,” Infantino said.

“And number two it doesn’t mean that somebody will buy these tickets,” Infantino said. “And if somebody buys a ticket for the final for $2 million I will personally bring him a hot dog and a Coke to make sure that he has a great experience.”

Fan groups have contrasted the difference in price of tickets for this summer with the Qatar World Cup in 2022.

The most expensive ticket for the final in 2022 was around $1,600 at face value, while in 2026 the most expensive ticket for the final is about $11,000 at its original price.

Infantino was adamant that the steep increase in face-value prices were justified.

“We have to look at the market — we are in the market in which entertainment is the most developed in the world. So we have to apply market rates,” Infantino said.

“In the US it is permitted to resell tickets as well. So if you were to sell tickets at the price which is too low, these tickets will be resold at a much higher price.

“And as a matter of fact, even though some people are saying that the ticket prices we have are high, they still end up on the resale market at an even higher price, more than double of our price.”

Infantino said that FIFA received in excess of 500 million ticket requests for 2026, compared with fewer than 50 million combined for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

The FIFA leader added that 25 percent of tickets for the group phase were priced at under $300.

“You cannot go to watch in the US a college game, not even speaking about a top professional game of a certain level, for less than $300,” Infantino said. “And this is the World Cup.”

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Kate Henshaw Explains Fallout With Genevieve Nnaji

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Seasoned actress Kate Henshaw has opened up about her fallout with colleague Genevieve Nnaji.

 

Appearing on the Tea with Tay podcast, Henshaw reflected on the end of their friendship, saying it faded quickly.

Henshaw who could not identify the exact cause of the breakdown, stated they may have grown apart or that some level of mistrust existed, but she remains unsure of what happened.

“We grew apart. Maybe she had some kind of mistrust about me… I don’t know what happened. I don’t know what came over her but I’ve moved on,” Henshaw said.

The actress did not give further details on when the fallout occurred.

Both actresses are icons of Nollywood and have featured in several notable films since the late 1990s.

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Tinubu Doesn’t Trust Me – Cubana Chief Priest

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Socialite and businessman Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest, has claimed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu does not fully trust him because of his previous support for Peter Obi during the 2023 presidential election.

 

The celebrity barman made the remarks during a livestream session with popular streamer Peller in a video that surfaced online on Wednesday.

Speaking partly in pidgin English, Cubana Chief Priest said the president still views him with suspicion because he openly backed Obi and the Labour Party in the last election.

“President Bola Tinubu no really trust me as an Igbo man that I am. He look me with one eye because he believes that this one that worked for Peter Obi before at the last election,” he said.

The businessman, who currently serves as the Imo State Coordinator of the Pro-Tinubu City Boys Movement, explained that he later switched allegiance because he did not want to remain on the losing side politically.

Asked why he abandoned Obi’s camp, he replied, “Because I don’t want to lose again because they say first fool no be fool, na the second fool be proper fool.”

Cubana Chief Priest was among prominent entertainers who openly campaigned for Obi and the Labour Party before the 2023 elections. He has since aligned himself with the ruling All Progressives Congress and President Tinubu.

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Erling Haaland Makes Acting Debut In Animated Film 

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Erling Haaland will follow in the footsteps of David Beckham and Vinnie Jones by taking his first steps into the acting world, with the Norwegian striker set to make his film debut.

 

The Manchester City striker will voice a character described as ‘an animated version of himself’, in the upcoming animated film Viqueens.

This is according to the Hollywood Reporter, who say that the 25-year-old is playing a Viking called Haaland in the motion picture.

The adventure-comedy is directed and co-written by the award-winning Harald Zwart, the Norwegian director known for The Karate Kid and Agent Cody Banks.

‘As a Norwegian storyteller making a Viking adventure for a global audience, having Erling Haaland join feels incredibly exciting,’ said Zwart.

‘Erling has already become a kind of real-life Viking icon around the world – powerful, fearless and uniquely Norwegian.

‘Bringing him into this universe as himself gives the film an unexpected energy and authenticity that felt completely right for this story.’

Solveig Langeland, managing director of Sola Media, added: ‘Erling Haaland transcends sports – he’s a global cultural figure.

‘His involvement brings another exciting dimension to a film that already combines international adventure, humour, and emotional storytelling in a way we believe will resonate with audiences everywhere.’

He follows the likes of Beckham and Jones, who have already hit the cinema screens around the country.

Beckham made his silver screen debut in his pal Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur back in 2017 alongside film stars Charlie Hunnam and Eric Bana, playing hardened battleguard Trigger in the flick.

Meanwhile, Jones is known for portraying gangsters on screen, and as recently as 2024 played gamekeeper Geoff in Ritchie’s series The Gentlemen, featuring Theo James.

He famously also played Coach Dinklage in She’s the Man, and was The Juggernaut in X-Men: The Last Stand.

Haaland may need a while before he becomes the big actor that Jones has become, though, with plenty of years on the pitch still ahead of him.

The striker’s focus will currently be on winning the Premier League with Manchester City, as they look to hunt down Arsenal, who are two points ahead at the top, with two games to go.

Haaland will next be in action on Tuesday night as they travel to Bournemouth.

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