Viral England superfan Andy Milne has blasted the ‘disgusting’ prices supporters are facing at this summer’s World Cup, after it was revealed he had put his £350,000 house up for sale to help fund a seven-week trip.
Milne, 62, has become a recognisable face at England men’s and women’s football matches after a picture of him wearing a Three Lions shirt and holding a replica World Cup trophy at Qatar 2022 went viral.
Milne, a retired teacher now living in Thailand, is planning his tenth World Cup following England. His first was Spain 1982, at the age of 19, where he had all of his belongings stolen.
He has since followed England to eight further men’s World Cups, as well as attending the Women’s World Cup in Australia in 2023, where Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses made the final.
Milne, who some have described as a ‘Steve McLaren lookalike’, says he has now put his second home in Northwich, Cheshire, up for sale to fund a trip to this year’s tournament.
After reports he had put his £350,000 house up for sale to fund his trip to watch the Three Lions in the United States, Canada and Mexico, Milne explained it had always been part of his long-term planning to be able to watch this summer’s finals.
Andy Milne, 62, rose to fame after a picture of him wearing a Three Lions shirt and holding a replica World Cup trophy at Qatar 2022 went viral
Milne has explained the sale of his £350,000 second home in order to fund his trip to this summer’s World Cup
‘It has been a bit exaggerated that story,’ Milne told All Out Football. ‘I took early retirement to go to Qatar as a teacher and I won’t get my full pension for another four years.
‘I moved house 13 years ago and invested the money in the previous house and we have rented it since then. It has always been my pension pot and now it is time to cash out that pension pot.
‘That had always been part of my planning to go to the World Cup, that is where the story is.’
Milne will be in situ for England’s first game against Croatia on June 17.
His dedication means that he is now a ‘top capper’ with the official England supporters’ travel club, enabling him to buy tickets for every England group game in the US, as well as guaranteeing tickets all the way to the final.
He revealed the depth of planning required to follow the team at the World Cup, having factored in England’s possible routes through the tournament.
Among them are a trip to Elvis Presley’s former home, Graceland, possible trips to Niagara Falls and the Rocky Mountains, as well as travelling over to Maine on the Boston leg of the journey.
Milne, however, added that several England fans have opted not to travel to this summer’s World Cup, citing the cost and low allocation of tickets for fans among the factors.
Milne admitted the costs of this summer’s tournament have put off a lot of England fans, accusing organisers of attempting to ‘fleece’ supporters
‘What the USA and FIFA have done this time I think is disgusting,’ Milne said.
‘At Qatar, in Russia, in Brazil, all of your transport to and from the games was free. All your fanzones were free. If you were a fan and had a ticket, it was 48 hours free transport in that city, there and back.
‘At the USA, the transport to and from the grounds they have apparently quadrupled the price for the World Cup. Everybody is trying to cash in.
‘They are fleecing the fans, they are trying to prey on this fear that we are not going to get a ticket, a fear of missing out. The fans are being forced to buy at very high prices.
‘It is also the allocation of tickets. Our first match is against Croatia in Dallas, a stadium of 94,500 and we have got 4,000 tickets.
‘Combined with the cost and lack of transparency of tickets, means a lot of England fans, quite understandably, have decided not to travel.’
FIFA are charging supporters up to $10,990 (£8,333) for the privilege of watching the World Cup final at the MetLife Stadium on Sunday, 19 July.
This price is a 38 per cent increase from the $8,680 (£6,581) that was advertised as the most expensive ticket during the members’ sale in December, when each country’s official supporters’ club were given early access.
The pricing system put in place by FIFA is variable, with the cost of tickets fluctuating based on demand, which remains high.
Wednesday night’s open sale for the final, and 17 of the 72 group matches, also disclosed that category two tickets had risen 32 percent to $7,380 (£5,596), and category three tickets were now priced at $5,785 (£4,386), a 38 percent increase.
The top three category prices are all substantially higher than the cost of the most expensive seat at the 2022 Qatar World Cup final, contested by Argentina and France, which was the equivalent of $1,604 (£1,214).
