Football fans have expressed outrage at the exorbitant price of transit fares to get to World Cup matches, following reports that US transport authorities have jacked up prices just for this summer's tournament.
New Jersey Transit is planning to charge fans more than $100 for tickets from Penn Station in Manhattan to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey during the World Cup, according to a report in The Athletic.
A return ticket for the journey normally costs $12.90.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority confirmed this month that return tickets from Boston to Gillette Stadium would cost $80 – up from the usual event-day price of $20.
"It's a disgrace. In recent tournaments, transportation was either included in the ticket price or offered at a heavily discounted rate for ticket holders," Guillaume Aupretre, a spokesman for France's main supporters' group, told AFP.
"They keep piling on the extra costs without giving any thought to the fans," he said, accusing world football's governing body FIFA of shutting out "the most loyal supporters in favour of the wealthy."
France will play all three of its Group I matches in Boston and New Jersey.
"Another day, another rip off at this World Cup. What on earth is going on?" Free Lions, a group for travelling England fans, posted on social media.
England also has group matches scheduled at the Boston and New Jersey stadiums.
'AWFULLY HIGH'
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill blamed FIFA for the price hikes, pointing to a $48 million bill the state faces to ensure the safety of fans going to the eight games at the MetLife stadium.
"I won't stick New Jersey commuters for that tab for years to come, that's not fair," Sherrill wrote on social media, adding that FIFA stood to make $11 billion at the World Cup.
"So here's the bottom line: Fifa should pay for the rides, but if they don't I'm not going to let New Jersey commuters get taken for one."
That sentiment was echoed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who wrote on social media on Tuesday that FIFA should foot the bill for transport costs to World Cup venues.
FIFA, which is already facing severe criticism over the sky-high cost of many match ticket prices, issued a strongly-worded statement criticising the transport price hike.
FIFA said that the original host city agreements "required free transportation for fans to all matches".
A re-negotiation stipulated that transport would be offered "at cost" on match days, FIFA added.
"We are quite surprised by the NJ Governor's approach on fan transportation," FIFA said.
"The FIFA World Cup will bring millions of fans to North America along with the related economic impact."
It added: "FIFA is not aware of any other major event previously held at NYNJ Stadium, including other major sports, global concert tours, etc., where organisers were required to pay for fan transportation."
New York Governor Kathy Hochul was another to take aim at the reported price hike.
"Charging over $100 for a short train ride sounds awfully high to me," Hochul wrote on X.
NJ Transit did not respond to a request for comment when contacted by AFP.
The Athletic quoted a spokesperson for the agency as saying that no firm decision had been taken on World Cup ticket pricing, calling reports "unconfirmed speculation."
Some $100 million in US federal funding has been allocated to host cities for transit network costs, including $8.7 million for Boston and Massachusetts, and $10.4 million for the New York-New Jersey area, according to local media reports.
Los Angeles's transit agency has received $9.6 million. Last month, it pledged not to increase standard fares for trips to the SoFi Stadium – which are typically $3.50 for a round-trip from downtown Los Angeles – during World Cup match days.