U.S. soccer coach Mauricio Pochettino said Thursday that he does not think players and coaches should speak out about World Cup ticket prices, which have been widely criticized as being unaffordable for many fans.
“It’s not about us to provide our opinion,” he said during a video call with reporters. “Our responsibility is to play and perform on the pitch.”
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Conducting the call from FIFA offices in Coral Gables, Florida, Pochettino said FIFA, the sport’s governing body, should answer questions about ticket prices, not coaches and players.
“FIFA is doing an amazing job around the world, uniting people,” he said. “I think, for sure, the media needs to ask [FIFA] directly and, for sure, you are going to receive a very good answer. … We need to be focused on the spor…
U.S. soccer coach Mauricio Pochettino said Thursday that he does not think players and coaches should speak out about World Cup ticket prices, which have been widely criticized as being unaffordable for many fans.
“It’s not about us to provide our opinion,” he said during a video call with reporters. “Our responsibility is to play and perform on the pitch.”
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Conducting the call from FIFA offices in Coral Gables, Florida, Pochettino said FIFA, the sport’s governing body, should answer questions about ticket prices, not coaches and players.
“FIFA is doing an amazing job around the world, uniting people,” he said. “I think, for sure, the media needs to ask [FIFA] directly and, for sure, you are going to receive a very good answer. … We need to be focused on the sports side and trust the organization that is in charge of soccer or football around the world that they are going to do the right things.”
Citing demand for World Cup tickets, FIFA has defended ticket prices. The governing body blamed the resale market for skyrocketing costs.
Yahoo Sports Senior Soccer reporter
Two weeks ago, U.S. standout Tim Weah told the Athletic that he was “disappointed by the ticket prices. Lots of real fans will miss matches.”
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Asked Thursday about Weah’s comments, Pochettino said, “Players need to talk on the pitch playing football. It’s not his duty to evaluate the price of the ticket. My duty is to prepare the team in the best way to perform. We are not politicians; we are sports people. We can talk about our jobs. If FIFA does something or [makes] some decision, they know why and it is their responsibility to explain why.”