German court issues temporary injunction against FIFA over World Cup ticket sales

German Court Issues Injunction Against FIFA

The Frankfurt Regional Court has issued an interim injunction against FIFA concerning its ticket sales practices. The ruling orders the world football governing body to "refrain from certain practices related to ticket sales towards consumers in the Federal Republic of Germany," the court announced in response to a dpa inquiry. An objection to the ruling is possible.

The ticket sales platform Ticombo GmbH, as the applicant, accuses FIFA of manipulative ticket allocation procedures. This concerns, among other things, time pressure, the design of the purchasing process, and a lack of transparency on the world governing body's resale platform.

FIFA has been under criticism for months due to high prices and its ticket sales practices. The US justice system has also looked into the matter. Due to a dynamic pricing model, the amounts fans have to pay for tickets fluctuate significantly. On the official secondary market, FIFA does not regulate prices and profits exorbitantly from sales. The world governing body charges a fee of 15 percent per ticket from both the seller and the buyer.

Spain's King to Attend Final; Argentina's President Will Not

Spain's King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, Crown Princess Leonor, and Infanta Sofía will be cheering on site at the final in East Rutherford on Sunday. The trip was confirmed by the royal household in Madrid. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will also watch the final between the European champions and Argentina on Sunday (9:00 PM / ZDF and MagentaTV) at the stadium.

Argentina's President Javier Milei, on the other hand, will not watch the final at the stadium due to superstition. "No, absolutely not," Milei responded in an interview with radio station "El Observador" when asked if he would travel to the final. The president stated he would watch the game from his official residence, Quinta de Olivos in the province of Buenos Aires. When asked if this was part of a personal good luck routine, he replied "Yes."

Tears at the Nomination of the Final Referee

Referee Slavko Vincic burst into tears and emotionally hugged his assistants Tomaz Klancnik and Andraz Kovacic. A video from FIFA shows the touching moment when the referee from Slovenia learned that he will officiate the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain on Sunday (9:00 PM) in East Rutherford. For the 46-year-old, it is his first World Cup final.

In the tournament, he is being used for the fourth time; previously, he officiated, among other games, the 2-0 victory of co-host Mexico against Ecuador in the Round of 32. His biggest final before this was the Champions League duel between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund (2-0) in 2024.

German referee Bastian Dankert will be the video assistant referee for the World Cup final. The final nomination was announced by FIFA's head of referees, Pierluigi Collina, during a meeting with referees, assistants, and video referees, who all visibly awaited the decision with tension. The Italian then presented Vincic with a black jersey bearing his name.

New World Champion Can Adorn Themselves

The new world champions will receive another prize for their title win in addition to the World Cup trophy and gold medals. FIFA is awarding rings to the winner of the final between Spain and Argentina on Sunday in East Rutherford for the first time, as the world governing body announced. One side of the ring is said to show the World Cup trophy.

Thanks to an outstanding performance against World Cup favorites France, Spain has reached a World Cup final for the second time. Coach Luis de la Fuente is "incredibly proud" of his team's performance and believes they will win the final next Sunday.

The FIFA World Cup is taking place in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. Stay up to date on everything important about the tournament and the teams in the knockout round.