Congressional hopeful Darializa Avila Chevalier has found herself in hot water with FIFA over an unsanctioned World Cup ticket scheme, according to a report.
Chevalier, who was the lead for New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s campaign in the Bronx and Upper Manhattan areas, announced a ticket raffle for the soccer tournament in exchange for help on her campaign for congress.
The 32-year-old, who is currently on the campaign trail in hopes of representing Harlem’s 13th Congressional District, shared on Wednesday that New Yorkers could have the chance to attend England’s game against Panama, if they sign up to canvass for her.
‘We’re raffling off CATEGORY 1 tickets to the Panama v England game on June 27th, at the World Cup, and all you have to do is canvass,’ she wrote on X.
According to Chevalier, soccer fans who work a minimum of 10 canvassing shifts to collect 10 different trading cards will be automatically entered into the raffle, which closes on Monday June 22. It is unclear if different cards will be handed out at every shift.
However, the congressional candidate is now reportedly facing action from FIFA over the scheme, with soccer’s global governing body saying that it did not approve the raffle.
Congressional hopeful Darializa Avila Chevalier has found herself in hot water with FIFA
Chevalier announced that New Yorkers would be entered into a raffle for World Cup tickets in exchange for canvassing shifts for her campaign. Morocco fans are pictured at MetLife
The organization is now said to be ‘taking steps to address’ the unsanctioned ticket lottery, according to the New York Post’s Craig McCarthy.
‘FIFA does not allow tickets to be used for raffles, sweepstakes, contests, or other promotional activities,’ per its rules.
The Daily Mail has contacted Chevalier’s office and FIFA for further comment.
Mamdani, who has endorsed Chevalier, ran his own World Cup ticket lottery last month, making a select number of tickets for the games at MetLife Stadium available for $50.
However, the mayor came under fire at the weekend when he attended the clash between Brazil and Morocco in New Jersey.
He allegedly snatched up multiple exclusive tickets to games throughout the tournament, which ordinarily would have cost an eye-watering amount.
‘Given the unique nature of the World Cup and the once-in-a-generation opportunity for New York City to serve as a host city, the mayor will attend select matches at [MetLife Stadium] in his official capacity to perform official functions as the chief executive of the host city,’ Mamdani spokesperson Dora Pekec said.
Pekec reportedly said that Mamdani has a ‘contractual obligation with the New York/New Jersey 2026 World Cup Host Committee’ to attend the matches.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has thrown his support behind Chevalier
Mayor Mamdani reported received a free ticket for a World Cup game at MetLife
Meanwhile, Chevalier sparked more World Cup controversy of her own earlier this week when she revealed that she was rooting against the USA at the tournament.
During a segment on NYC TV station PIX 11, she and congressional rival Rep. Adriano Espaillat were asked who they were supporting at the World Cup.
Espaillat announced that he would be backing Mexico, while Chevalier declared that she would be rooting for Senegal.
Chevalier’s campaign faced further controversy last month when her vile social media posts were unearthed, including one where she ranted about interracial relationships.
‘Black men [handshake emoji] Arab men fetishizing ugly colonizer women,’ the 32-year-old allegedly wrote in a September 2019 post, the New York Post previously reported.
She also recalled a time when a ‘white lady’ questioned her anti-Israel shirt while she was out in public.
‘I held the door on an old white lady at Popeyes… Her: is that a BDS shirt? Me: Yes, she wrote, referring to the ‘Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions’ campaign against Israel and Israeli-owned businesses.
Chevalier continued: ‘Her: Do you know what they do to– Door closed before I could find out what they do,’ she wrote on X in September 2019, the Post cited.
Chevalier, who was Mamdani’s former aide during his campaign, is seeking to take Rep. Adriano Espalliat, who has held the seat since 2017
Chevalier (pictured being handcuffed by an NYPD officer) was formerly an anti-Israel activist at Columbia University from 2012 to 2016
The posts were published to an X account, named darializabonet, when the social media platform was still known as Twitter. The profile is no longer active.
In addition to her controversial social media posts, Chevalier was formerly an anti-Israel activist at Columbia University from 2012 to 2016.
She worked for the group called Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), which has since been suspended. Chevalier also credited herself as a leader of the ‘tentefada’ encampments at the school.
During her campaign for Congress, she has pledged to legalize prostitution and private drug use, as well as abolish prisons, according to her DSA candidate questionnaire.
Additionally, she called for the abolishment of Immigration Customs Enforcement and the end of US military support for Israel.
