FIFA "revealed the ticket prices for the 2018 World Cup, with the cost of the cheapest tickets available for foreign fans increasing more than 16%" since '14, according to the London GUARDIAN. The most affordable tickets for group stage games will sell for $105, a $15 "increase on the equivalent tickets in Brazil two years ago." The most expensive “category one” tickets for the final retail at $1,100, up from $990 for the Rio de Janeiro showpiece two years ago -- a rise of £191 ($249), or just over 11%. Russian residents "are being offered sharply discounted rates, with their cheapest tickets on offer" at 1,280 rubles ($20) for group matches, an increase on the equivalent prices for the '14 tournament but "roughly in line with prices South African fans paid in 2010." Meanwhile, FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura said that "extra security measures are planned" for the 2018 World Cup following hooligan violence at Euro 2016. Russian fans, "some equipped with martial arts gear, clashed with English supporters in Marseille city centre and inside the stadium during the tournament in France." Asked about fears that such violence could be repeated in Russia, Samoura said that "there will be additional measures," including "known troublemakers being banned from stadiums" (GUARDIAN, 7/5).
MORE SECURITY: CTV NEWS reported Samoura said that FIFA observers "attended all host cities during the European Championship, and their recommendations would form a key part of future security policy." Samoura: "All these lessons learned will be used not only here but also in the future by FIFA in any country where we identify a high risk of security." She did not provide specifics of the new measures or say "whether any FIFA observers were present for the violence in Marseille." Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said, "Security during the World Cup in the Russian Federation is guaranteed by the government. The security will be unobtrusive, but serious" (CTV NEWS, 7/5).
