Uefa has opted against introducing the dynamic pricing model favoured by Fifa for selling tickets for the 2028 Euros in England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland.
The European governing body’s decision has been welcomed by the four domestic FA’s, who are continuing to consult with Uefa over Euros tickets and want to offer competitive prices.
Euro 2028 tickets will certainly cost significantly less than those for next summer’s World Cup, co-hosted by the United States – where dynamic and surge pricing is an accepted part of the event-going culture.
Fifa adopted a dynamic pricing strategy for this summer’s Club World Cup, although in many cases it led to bargains for fans as prices were slashed in the build-up to matches due to poor sales.
Tickets for Chelsea’s semi-final against Fluminense at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey were sold for just $13.40 (£9.92) the day before the game, having been priced from $473.90 (£350) earlier in the previous week.
Fifa has yet to announce ticket prices for the World Cup, but are expected to follow a similar model.
Dynamic pricing has yielded huge dividends for the NFL, with the average price of one ticket for this year’s Super Bowl reaching over £5,000.
Paying up for Paqueta?
West Ham have ruled out taking legal action against the Football Association (FA) over the governing body’s decision to charge Lucas Paqueta with spot-fixing.
The Brazilian international was cleared of four charges of being deliberately booked in an attempt to make money for friends and family in betting markets by an independent commission last month, but was found guilty of two lesser offences of failing to co-operate with the FA’s investigation.
The FA’s decision to launch a formal inquiry after they were alerted to suspicious betting patterns by integrity authorities two years ago led to the collapse of Paqueta’s proposed move to Manchester City, costing his club an £85m transfer fee.
West Ham were unhappy that the case dragged on for almost two years and considered seeking legal redress, but have decided against it, with a senior source at the club telling City AM that they have respect for the FA’s difficult role as the sport’s disciplinary regulator.
West Ham are expected to apply for the FA to cover the £1m costs they incurred in assisting Paqueta’s defence.
Curbing women’s football spend?
The Women’s Super League is planning to introduce stricter financial controls in an attempt to reduce the gap in spending power between the clubs.
The WSL currently operates a soft salary cap, which limits spending on transfers and wages to 40 per cent of revenue, but that includes income from the parent club so in practical terms there is little restriction in many cases.
With parent club income included there is also a vast difference in permitted spending for the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea, and newly promoted London City Lionesses.
The WSL have set up a Financial Regulations Workstream featuring representatives of the executive and the clubs, which is currently discussing a range of different models.
Any changes are unlikely to be introduced before the beginning of next season, which starts on 5 September.
