Sir Keir Starmer joins backlash at FIFA over World Cup ‘money grab’ plan | Football | Sport

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has called out FIFA’s decision to ban fans from bringing reusable water bottles into stadiums during matches at this summer’s World Cup. The football governing body revised their policy this week in advance of the tournament, which kicks off on June 11.

The United States, Canada and Mexico will co-host the competition, with all three nations anticipated to experience hot temperatures over the coming weeks. FIFA amended their guidance from three weeks earlier, which had previously stated that “empty, transparent, reusable plastic bottles, up to one litre in capacity, may be brought into the stadium.”

That has now been altered, with FIFA now declaring that “reusable water bottles are no longer permitted at the FIFA World Cup stadiums”. Starmer has since been quizzed about the policy shift and delivered an clear verdict while voicing his displeasure with FIFA.

“It’s just wrong. And I can’t help but think that it’s about making money,” the Prime Minister told LBC. “So you can’t bring plastic bottles in but you can buy a bottle of water when you get in the crowd? And then it’ll be expensive. The tickets themselves cost a fortune, far too expensive in my view. So the ticket sales are too high. And this is the wrong policy.”

Starmer was also questioned on whether he would seek to intervene and contact FIFA directly. He said: “Well, I would call on FIFA to just look again at this.

“Think about it. Think of the fans. They are football fans from all sorts of backgrounds across our country, across the world. They’re already spending a fortune getting there. They’ve got to pay a lot for tickets, too much in my book.

“Don’t impose further costs on them. So I’d say (to) Fifa, look again.”

Outlining the reasoning behind the policy change, a FIFA spokesperson said: “FIFA is committed to protecting the health and safety of all players, referees, fans, volunteers and staff. FIFA made the decision to prohibit bottles to prevent risk and injury to players and attendees.

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“Outside bottles are already prohibited at several of these venues for safety considerations and FIFA is applying this consideration across its tournament stadiums.

“FIFA works closely with each host city committee and local authorities on heat mitigation factors for fans travelling to the stadium, which can include resources such as misting stations, fans, hydration stations, cooling tents and more around the stadium footprint.

“Inside the stadium footprint, pricing for water bottles for the Fifa World Cup 2026 will remain consistent with other events held at each stadium.” Starmer is far from the only political figure to voice opposition to FIFA’s new policy, with Toronto mayor Olivia Chow also criticising the sport’s governing body.

“It is a pure money grab. Why do you need to buy a water bottle when you can just carry your water in,” Chow said in an interview with CTV News.

“It is cheaper that way and it is good for the environment. It is outrageous. They are just trying to make more money. They are already making billions of dollars. Stop it.”

New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani also outlined his concerns regarding the policy shift. “I was just alerted to that (Thursday) morning and it is concerning because the heat that we are talking about is not just the heat that the players are in, it is also the heat that spectators are going to be subjected to for arguably a longer period of time, as they will be there before the game starts and after the game finishes,” Mamdani told the Athletic.

“That is something that we are going to follow up (with FIFA) on to better understand the rationale. We don’t (want) anyone skimping on water because of the cost of water at the stadium, if they would otherwise be drinking. You (should) want to make it easier.”