FIFA cancels dozens of free World Cup tickets issued to fans after a ticketing website error, according to multiple reports. The cancellations follow the discovery that some tickets were made available or priced incorrectly through the online system. Fans who received the tickets are reportedly notified that the bookings will not be honoured.
While the outlets describe the incident in broadly similar terms, details on the exact cause and the number of affected tickets vary by account. Common to all reports is that the problem is linked to the website’s ticketing functionality, which allowed tickets to be generated under conditions that FIFA later says were not valid. FIFA’s response is to remove or revoke those tickets rather than let the original reservations stand.
The cancelled tickets add to pre-tournament tensions as the World Cup is due to begin next week. FIFA has not been reported as providing a public explanation in these articles that goes beyond attributing the issue to a website error and the need to correct incorrect ticket outcomes.
