FIFA Sends Member Home For Scalping World Cup Tickets

FIFA Sends Bhamjee Home From World Cup

FIFA Exec Committee member Ismail Bhamjee, a delegate from Botswana, “was sent home from the World Cup for ticket scalping,” according to the AP. FIFA President Sepp Blatter said that FIFA “did not have the authority to summarily fire” an exec committee member, but he “expects the African confederation to take further action.” Bhamjee admitted to selling 12 tickets with a face value of $127 to England-Trinidad & Tobago last Thursday for $380 each. Blatter said that independent auditors Ernst & Young “would be investigating several facets of the World Cup, including the Bhamjee case” (AP, 6/18). FIFA Communications Dir Markus Siegler: “We are confident this is a one-off” (AP, 6/18).

HOT PANTS: In Manchester, Harding & Culf noted stadium officials made over 1,000 Netherlands fans wearing orange lederhosen bearing the name of Dutch beer company Bavaria on them to “take their trousers off” before entering. Bavaria Chair Peer Swinkels, whose company is not a FIFA sponsor, said, “FIFA said that the supporters could get them back afterwards. But the container was full of rubbish so most people didn’t bother.” Harding & Culf note there were also allegations that England supporters at the Trinidad & Tobago game “were forced to hand over Nike clothing” because the company is not a FIFA sponsor. But FIFA denied that Nike clothing “had been confiscated” (Manchester GUARDIAN, 6/19).

Stadium Officials Make Dutch Fans Lose Bavaria-Sponsored Lederhosen

ALCOHOL FREE: The Saudi Arabia soccer federation will allow its players to accept the World Cup man of the match award after it “secured a pledge from FIFA not to mention” the award’s sponsor, Anheuser-Busch, and not present the trophy, a mug with the A-B logo on it. The federation would not let its players accept the award because alcohol is banned in the country for religious reasons (AP, 6/18).

EARNING THE DRAW: The 300 big screen areas set up across Germany to watch World Cup games “have been overrun by such massive crowds that FIFA wants them expanded.” Siegler said Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt and Dortmund “have already expanded their big screen areas,” but Berlin “wants FIFA to foot some of the bill.” Demand for tickets “was at least 10 times the 3 million printed” (AP, 6/17).