Fifa’s neutrality ‘broken’ after Donald Trump role at World Cup draw: German politician
Vice-president of German parliament slams ‘disgusting’ ceremony in which Donald Trump received peace prize, and calls ticket prices ‘insane’
A vice-president of Germany’s parliament has hit out at Fifa over a “disgusting” World Cup draw ceremony where US President Donald Trump played a big role and “completely insane” ticket prices for the tournament.
Omid Nouripour from the Green Party, one of the vice-presidents of the lower house Bundestag, said on Sunday that “Fifa is not doing itself a favour in the long run. The neutrality is broken in quite a bad way.”
Trump was honoured with a new Fifa peace prize at the December 5 draw in Washington for the 2026 tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Fifa countered criticism on the closeness of its president Gianni Infantino to Trump by saying that such “good relationships” to top politicians of host countries were essential to guarantee a successful event.
Nouripour called the ceremony “disgusting” and also joined the criticism on the ticket prices for fans by saying the costs are “completely insane”.
Listing the prices for fans of its match contingents, the German FA said that the cheapest group stage ticket would cost €155 (US$180) and that a fan interested in attending every Germany match including the final – if the team makes it – would have to splash out at least €5,975.