PanOrient News | FIFA tainted by greed, Japan Communist Party paper says

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FIFA tainted by greed, Japan Communist Party paper says

Thursday, June 18, 2026

(FIFA)

PanOrient News

TOKYO: A Japanese newspaper has launched a scathing critique against the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), characterizing the organization as a greedy entity deeply stained by a relentless pursuit of money and profit. The publication argues that FIFA is prioritizing the accumulation of wealth at the expense of the fundamental spirit and integrity of the sport.

A column featured in “Akahata,” the official newspaper of the Japan Communist Party, offered a harsh assessment of the ongoing FIFA 2026 World Cup in North America. The piece asserted that the governing body has been “tainted by greed and the ever-present poison of capitalism,” suggesting that the organization’s primary focus has shifted away from athletic excellence toward commercial exploitation.

The column further argued that FIFA, as the global governing body for football, is actively “depriving football fans of their right to watch the games.” It emphasized that the loyal global fan base is being callously sacrificed to satisfy the organization’s insatiable appetite for profit, effectively alienating the very people who sustain the sport’s popularity.

According to the report, FIFA has established record-high price points for the tournament, constructing a profit-driven financial system that operates without any meaningful checks and balances to protect the consumer.

The analysis highlighted that the minimum price for the lowest tier of tickets for every match was ostensibly set at around 9,600 yen ($60). However, these affordable options accounted for a mere 1.6 percent of the total ticket supply. The Akahata column dismissed these as “decoy tickets,” noting that they are intentionally difficult for the average fan to secure. Furthermore, the cost of tickets for the final match has reportedly soared to over 670,000 yen (about $4,240), a staggering figure that is seven times the cost of a comparable ticket for the 2022 tournament.

The column explicitly blamed FIFA for driving these costs to prohibitive levels, specifically citing the implementation of “dynamic pricing.” Under this model, ticket prices fluctuate based on real-time demand, which inevitably pushes costs higher for popular matches. It added that another controversial scheme involves FIFA’s operation of an official resale marketplace, which allows private sellers to set their own inflated prices.

“FIFA has been reaping the profits from its own resale and exchange marketplace,” the column stated. It noted that the organization further benefits from this system by collecting transaction fees of 15 percent from both the buyers and the sellers involved in every exchange. (PanOrient News)