Sky-high ticket prices have been one of the big issues leading into this summer’s World Cup – with England fans set to be hit with a bill of more than £5,000 to follow their team all the way to the final.
When ticket prices were announced, group games had an average price ranging from the cheapest of £147 for the games held in Monterrey, Mexico – up to as high as £458 for games in Los Angeles.
To attend all eight of England’s matches in the cheapest seats would cost about £5,225, up to £8,580 in the next range, or £12,357 for the top tier.
There has been added controversy over the prices on resale sites, where tickets are listed at even higher figures.
The Paddy Power balloon goes up by the Hollywood sign to highlight the ‘pants’ ticket prices
And former England striker Peter Crouch and actor Danny Dyer have had enough, teaming up with bookmaker Paddy Power for a campaign featuring a cheeky stunt – launching a hot air balloon shaped like a giant pair of underpants near the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles to draw attention to the ‘pants’ prices hitting fans.
Following the flight, Crouch commented: ‘This World Cup feels like it’s going to be fairly bonkers in almost every way. The scale of everything – from the stadiums to the ticket prices – just feels to different to anything we’ve seen before.
‘I’ve only been here a few days and have already recorded an episode of my podcast hanging from a pair of giant, inflatable Paddy Power pants. I think that pretty much sums up how the next few weeks are going to be.’
Peter Crouch recorded an episode of his podcast from a flight in the balloon
Paddy Power ambassador Dyer added: ‘As everyone should know by now, nobody does football better than the fans. Whoever came up with these ticket prices must have been having a laugh. I’m just not having it.
‘It’s a proper stitch-up and we need to sort it out lively. A World Cup that everyday fans are priced out of? Just sounds pants, doesn’t it?’
A Paddy Power spokesman said: ‘Our hot air balloon isn’t the only thing inflated around this tournament: the ticket prices are pants. Just like our oversized green underwear, the tournament organisers are full of hot air when it comes to looking after fans.’
