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FIFA are moving fans to face television cameras in an apparent bid to make stadiums at the Club World Cup appear full.
Mail Sport understands some of those who have bought tickets for the expanded tournament, which kicks off tonight, have found their seats shifted amid growing concerns over poor sales numbers.
Insiders at the governing body, who signed a $1bn deal with Dazn to broadcast the competition across the globe, have insisted that none of those impacted will find themselves in seats that are lower priced than the ones they originally purchased and that some will end up in better seats.
They say the strategy is commonplace at major sporting events, is normal practice and is also aimed at improving the atmosphere.
However, the revelation will no doubt add to further questions over the validity of the tournament, which many see as an attempted land grab on club football by FIFA bosses.
One seat map suggests that the last-16 match on June 28 will currently see Charlotte’s 74,867-capacity Bank of America Stadium split in two, with one side healthily populated and the other virtually empty. That game will feature the side which finishes second in Chelsea’s group take on the winner of a group which includes German giants Bayern Munich.
FIFA are moving fans to face television cameras in an apparent bid to make stadiums look full
Students at a local college were being offered five tickets for as little as $20 to see Messi play
One last-16 match could see Charlotte's 74,867-capacity Bank of America Stadium split in two
Ticket prices have been slashed across the tournament, while Mail Sport reported that many of those who bought seats early have been given substantial part-refunds.
For tonight’s opener, which sees Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami take on Egypt’s Al-Ahly at Miami’s 65,326 Hard Rock Stadium, students at a local college were being offered five tickets for as little as $20. When the draw was made, in December, the cheapest seats were advertised for $349.
Much is at stake for FIFA, following a rebrand that has seen the competition extended from seven teams and one week to 32 teams and a month and optics will be key with the world watching. Visuals of huge swathes of empty seats will do little to suggest the expansion has whetted the appetite of the American public.
Days after the TV deal was announced Surj, a firm owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, announced a $1bn investment in Dazn. Saudi had two months previously been confirmed as the host of the 2034 World Cup host.
Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami take on Al-Ahly in Miami in the tournament opener this evening
FIFA signed a $1bn deal with Dazn to broadcast the expanded competition across the globe
The Hard Rock Stadium hosts the opening match between Messi's Miami and Egypt's Al Ahly
A FIFA spokesperson said: ‘The FIFA Club World Cup is the start of a new era in global club football. By making the bold move of creating this new, truly global competition, FIFA is bringing together giants of the club game and spotlighting many new and successful clubs from all continents — introducing them to fans in the United States and to a broader global audience.
‘We anticipate great attendances and electric atmospheres at its inaugural edition, with excitement growing with every round of matches and the tournament ultimately standing as the undisputed pinnacle of club world football. The appetite speaks for itself: fans from over 130 countries have already purchased tickets.’
