FIFA probes possible ticket fraud case in New Brunswick
FIFA is investigating a possible ticket fraud case in New Brunswick.
Tickets for the 2014 FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup in Moncton appeared on StubHub — an online ticket resale website — but with some irregularities.
The set of 10 tickets for Moncton’s opening day on Aug. 6 were listed in Section 22, behind one of the end zones of the Moncton Stadium. The problem is, those tickets don’t exist.
The national organizing committee for the tournament, which is also organizing the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, confirmed to CBC News that seating isn’t being offered behind either end zone, only along the sidelines.
The committee passed the information regarding the tickets on to FIFA to investigate.
The seller, whose identity is protected under StubHub’s policies, is also seeking $96.90 per ticket. The highest ticket price on FIFA’s official website is $32, with lots of tickets still available for that day’s matches.
Reselling tickets above face value is not illegal, but it’s the section in which the tickets were being promised, combined with the asking price, that raised concerns.
The national organizing committee’s chief executive officer Peter Montopoli says fans should avoid ticket broker websites and purchase their tickets directly through FIFA.
“It's unfortunate that these other [ticket] agencies do get involved, but FIFA.com is the only authorized selling venue avenue for anybody across the country," he said.
A spokesperson for StubHub says the company contacted the seller following CBC’s inquiry, and was told the seller simply made an error when listing the section for the tickets.
The tickets have since been re-listed in Section 14 of the stadium, though the asking price remains the same.
CBC News was unable to reach a representative from FIFA for comment on Wednesday.
Moncton will host the Group C matches involving teams from England, Nigeria, Mexico and South Korea.
Teams from China, the United States, Ghana and Finland will also play matches in Moncton.
Moncton is one of four Canadian cities hosting the U-20 Women's World Cup. Montreal, Toronto and Edmonton are the other host cities.
