Fifa criticized for ‘deeply concerning’ approach to ticketing for fans with disabilities

Problems securing companion seats appear to be limited to stadiums in the United States and Canada. For games in Mexico there are no explicit companion seats, with wheelchair ticketholders invited to buy an additional ticket when checking out their purchase.

A Fifa source said that selling disabled and companion tickets in the American market was challenging, as US legislation prevents vendors from demanding proof of disability.

They added that their ability to influence their ticket resale platform was severely limited by the nature of the American market, which does not permit price capping even for accessible tickets.

The problem appears particularly pronounced in the US, where four companion seats for each wheelchair user have been allocated in some stadiums. As a result the issue may be one of oversupply, with an abundance of companion tickets appearing on the market for some matches.

Fifa sources explained that companion tickets became available in stage four of the sales process this month, as it was the first point at which fans could select a specific seat for matches.

The limited availability of wheelchair and easy access tickets, however, appears to have led to significant price rises for fans with disabilities on the official World Cup ticket resale site, from which Fifa takes 15% commission from both the seller and the buyer.

For England’s opening group game against Croatia in Dallas, for example, standard category three tickets were available earlier this week for $1,150, whereas easy access tickets started at $3,100, with similar differentials across other price points.

Fifa has acknowledged that there are potential issues in allocating companion tickets at the World Cup. Its terms and conditions state that “companions will be seated as close to you as possible. However, the exact seat location cannot be guaranteed, and Fifa Ticketing cannot ensure that it will be immediately adjacent to your seat.”

The UK-based campaign group Level Playing Field contacted Fifa in December, expressing concerns and making representations on behalf of a number of fans. Staff from the charity have since met with Fifa officials to raise these matters, but they have yet to receive an update of any meaningful action taken to address their concerns.

Tony Taylor, the chair of Level Playing Field, told the Guardian: “It is deeply concerning that this World Cup sees the reversal of the position to provide complimentary PA [personal assistant] /companion tickets to disabled fans.

“For many disabled supporters, attending with a PA is an essential access requirement, which they are now being asked to pay double their entry fee for.

“Despite concerns over inaccessibility being raised with Fifa more than four months ago, the necessary action has still not been taken and effective communication with disabled supporters has been severely lacking. This failure to act on inclusion, alongside key backwards steps, puts equality at risk for a tournament which claims to be the most inclusive to date.”

Football Supporters Europe has also written to Fifa, saying that its ticketing system “enables speculation and exploitation”, and referred to the treatment of fans with disabilities in an official complaint sent to the European Commission in March.