A few thoughts on the World Cup

Sports Travel and specifically Football travel are going to be key themes for this site. I have been lucky enough to watch the beautiful game in 10 different countries with the odd Grand Prix, Ice Hockey, Cricket and Rugby match thrown in for good measure. I love the sport but also find it a great introduction to a country and it’s people, and view a match, a few beers and a look round a new city as an ideal getaway. I have attended two major football tournaments (both in Germany coincidentally) and really enjoyed the sense of occasion and the global party they can be. There’s nothing quite like being out there to take in the atmosphere, meet, sing and dance with people from every nationality and feel a part of it all but many won’t or can’t go this time and we have rarely seen the level of controversy surrounding a tournament.

I want to talk about cost first, It’s fair to say most optional travel is a luxury and not something everyone can do but a weekend trip to a meaningless fixture in a far flung city can be very reasonable. EasyJet, Ryanair and others regularly have flights at far less than it would cost me to get to the Midlands from London . Major tournaments are a bit different, ticketing is usually oversubscribed and priced accordingly and hotels and flights use surge pricing and kick up when potentially ten thousand or more people have the same idea as you and head to the same place at the same time. Tight rules around who gets allocated tickets and a delay while all that is allocated would often also delay fans plans and their ability to pick up bargains, leaving them hunting around for expensive leftovers. This means that anyone wanting to go shouldn’t be under any illusion – it will be expensive. Fans often find a way and there are plenty of stories in folklore of fans selling cars, sleeping in tents or airports and finding elaborate ways to get tickets , lifts or employment just to be there. This tournament is different again. From the outset it was clear that prices wouldn’t be expensive, they would be eye-wateringly, earth-shatteringly, ridiculously, and frankly thievingly expensive. Not only would basic prices be much higher than ever seen but the usual token cheap seats would make up only a tiny smattering of the allocation. On top of this FIFA decided their own surge pricing would be used to extract maximum returns and that instead of regulating or outright banning secondary black markets it would novelly set up it’s own and take their own cut. Transport from City centre to Stadium has tended to be included in the ticket price in previous tournaments. Not this time and this is also being hiked to record levels apparently to cover security costs. Recent reports suggest more skulduggery with tickets being held back to increase demand and keep prices artificially high.

Political turmoil is also nothing new whatever you think of the current US government/ regime, it’s the usual model of these tournaments rather than an outlier. World Cups and Olympics are hugely expensive with new stadia and infrastructure, few countries can afford to host, even fewer think it a good use of resources so it can lean towards the bidders being publicity seeking, overly nationalistic and desperate to show off their achievements and progress alongside the standard highlighting historical cities and landmarks for future tourism. Rather than sensible approaches to sustainability and pricing the host generally pays for everything and the organisers are free to pocket ticket, tv and commercial revenues to fund their own global projects in the intervening years.

For many fans this time the effort and the cost are far too much, and suspicion of what may lie in wait at borders or beyond are also off-putting. A tournament needs to be appealing in the first place but also fun and welcoming to all visitors. It’s early but price gouging, difficult transport, mass rejections, seemingly arbitrarily, late and after previous acceptance and harsh interrogation is not conducive to any kind of world party. Organisers and bidders are often keen to show themselves in a certain light or emphasise certain characteristics but they forget that the eyes are on them for better or worse. I’m too invested in the sport to boycott altogether and somehow will still be cheering on England for the unlikely win but I had very little interest in applying to go this time. I hope those that do go have a great time but spare a thought for those excluded.

…and I’ll sign off there as that’s probably already enough to get me on a travel blacklist.

Coming soon…..

The ☀️ Sun is finally with us in the UK and I have a Destination Guide building for Newquay – arguably Britain’s best beaches (Opinion only) but also our home of Surfing and a collection of pubs and restaurants that would be the envy of anywhere.

NEWS…. Milan Destination Guide live on YouTube.

Please have a watch and leave comments. I have a few coming up and am excited to share. Its a short explainer and a recommendation to visit. Because Milan is awesome 👍🏻

Codes….Check out the codes page, some new links and bargains added. No showing off here, pay as little as you can.

Recommendations….. Some great TV, Web and App Recs. Enjoy