FAM shuns Qatar World Cup tickets
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) says it is not involved in selling Qatar World Cup match tickets due to financial problems.
FAM statement follows enquiries by individuals and companies who wanted to access the tickets via the association as they did during previous editions of the once-in-four-years soccer feat.
Fifa allocates each of its member associations World Cup tickets which it can sell within its territory.
But FAM general secretary Alfred Gunda yesterday said those interested in World Cup tickets should buy them from Fifa directly.
He said: “This time we are not involved. Firstly, nobody showed interest. People are only showing interest now. We are in financial problems and struggling to finance our national teams.
“So, getting involved in World Cup ticket buying and selling when we didn’t know if people would be interested to go was out of question.”
Selling of the tickets started in April and will go until the competition kicks off on November 18 with the final set for December 19.
With FAM out of the picture, those interested have to scramble for the tickets through online selling points, including online vendors.
But Gunda advised those who want to buy the tickets to log into online Fifa World Cup tickets selling portal.
He said: “Fifa strongly advises that tickets should be bought through the official channels only.”
Soccer analyst Charles Nyirenda said FAM has missed an opportunity of to use the World Cup tickets for fundraising activities.
He said: “It’s not just about buying and selling those tickets. FAM could have acquired the tickets and used them to raise funds. For example, FAM can run a raffle with winners getting the tickets to watch the World Cup.”
Opening-match tickets for the hosts’ Group A clash with Ecuador are at $55 at the cheaper end to $618 for category 1 while other group matches range from $11 to $220.
Round of 16 matches are priced at $19 to $275 while quarterfinals range from $82.5 to $426 and semi-finals are from $137 to $956.
The cheapest ticket for the final is $206 while the premium category is at $1 607.
Apart from the tickets, fans are also advised to register with Fifa on a special platform called Fifa Hayya to get a fan identify card.
