Tartan Army 'taking back control' from Fifa with fan ticket exchange

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The Tartan Army says it is "taking back control" over soaring World Cup prices with a fan-run ticket swap website for supporters.

Ticket Exchange, set up by Edinburgh fan Carey McEvoy, says Scotland fans can swap and sell World Cup briefs without "obnoxious" resale mark-ups.

The 54-year-old ran a similar operation during Euro 2024, but says the high costs involved in the US tournament have made this "very different".

The cheapest recent tickets for Scotland's opening match against Haiti in Boston were $380 - the most expensive more than $2,000.

There have been various Fifa ticket sales with some using a dynamic pricing model - where prices are adjusted in real-time based on demand.

McEvoy, who is taking his 17-year-old son to his first World Cup, said he set up the group to help "desperate" fans who had paid for travel but had little hope of tickets.

Fans pay a £5 fee to register, which is donated to the Tartan Army Sunshine charity.

Thousands of Scottish fans are due to travel to the US for the World Cup [PA Media]

"The cost and the resale fees from Fifa are obnoxious," McEvoy told BBC Scotland News.

"At first 100 people signed up and were all quite happy to donate a fiver because it was for charity.

"I guess they thought, I have already spent thousands going to America - what's an extra fiver?"

There are about 600 people in the Ticket Exchange group and currently about 80 with tickets to swap or sell.

'Happy to chip in'

McEvoy runs the exchange with fellow fans Gill Taggart and Gordon Forbes, who help facilitate transactions to make sure "no one gets scammed".

Despite struggling to find enough tickets to go round, McEvoy said the experience has been positive for Tartan Army fans.

McEvoy said: "We ran something similar during the Euros which was brilliant, but it was very different then.

"There were a lot of people across Europe with tickets to swap. It was much more straightforward."

"Scotland fans will always find tickets one way or another, we are just happy to chip in."

The Tartan Army's Hamish Husband said fans were taking back control from Fifa [BBC]

Thousands of Scottish fans are expected to travel to the US to cheer on Steve Clarke's side, after the men's national team qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 30 years.

Tartan Army veteran Hamish Husband praised the exchange and said its showed that Scotland fans "look after each other".

He said: "We are aware of something called dynamic pricing - Oasis and Taylor Swift fans will be familiar with this.

"We were expecting it at the World Cup but not at this level. The cost for a family to go must be extraordinary.

"The Tartan Army is taking back control from Fifa and our hosts in the USA who are raking in money from football fans."

Scotland's games in June are in Boston and Miami [BBC]

Husband also criticised Fifa for allowing tournament prices to spike.

He added: "There have been various ticket selling sites facilitated by Fifa where a ticket for Scotland Haiti or Morocco costs about $1000.

"This site has enabled Scotland fans to swap and buy tickets from each other for face value prices - if you did this through Fifa they take up to 15%."

Fifa insists it is focused on ensuring fair access to the tournament for fans.

A spokesperson said: "Fifa's pricing strategy spans a broad range of price points and categories, reflecting market demand for each match.

"Unlike the entities behind profit-driven third-party ticket marketplaces, Fifa is a not-for-profit organisation.

"Revenue generated is reinvested to support the development of men's, women's and youth football across all Fifa 211 member associations."

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