A hospitality provider has come under fire for the offering it has provided for supporters at the World Cup final.
Ahead of the tournament’s showpiece event, 10 fans secured a $1million (£743,640) package through On Location, a company that describes itself as ‘the official hospitality partner for the world’s premier sports, music, and lifestyle events’.
Yet when photos of the pitch side seats those 10 ticket-holders had at the New York New Jersey Stadium were shared by Sports Business Journal reporter Alex Silverman, many were quick to hit out.
One social media user said: ‘All that to sit on a polyester Amazon couch…’
Another added: ‘This is the worst thing I’ve read for a while. I despise so much of this Americanised tournament.’
A further shocked fan quipped: ‘$1m? For the worst seats? Who the f*** wants to sit there?’
Fans have hit out at the pitch side seats given to fans who paid $1m for a World Cup final ticket
The fact they were sitting on sofas and facing the sun was one heavily debated issue
An extra user chipped in with: ‘Why would someone even pay that much,’ before another supporter said: ‘Pitch side views are the worst view in every football stadium on the globe. They have all been royally shafted here.’
Meanwhile, with the game starting at 3PM local time and the temperature at around 27 degrees centigrade, the sun was shining.
All of the supporters were subsequently given special sun hats to deal with the conditions, while they appeared to just be sitting on a regular sofa and behind a glass barrier, issues that further attracted the ire of social media users.
One said: ‘$1 million and it’s genuinely a terrible view,’ before another said: ‘Glad they threw the hat in there for free given the price, wouldn’t have been worth it otherwise.’
A third wrote: ‘And you get an obstructed view with the photographer standing in front of you the whole game.’
Despite the furore over the quality of seats, it must be noted that the $1million package does reportedly include several other supposed perks for the lucky fans.
The whole experience was said to start on Saturday when the ticket-holders attended a Sports Illustrated party that was hosted by 50 Cent and Diplo.
They were then transported from Manhattan to the New York New Jersey Stadium via helicopter, while other VIP tickets to high profile events and restaurants for after the World Cup final were also thrown in.
