Charging extra to invite more people to the Cup

Reports in Costa Rica today show that the National Football Federation charged more than the regular price for World Cup tickets from local fans, in order to pay for the trip of 62 people it invited for the competition. People who bought one of the 13,800 tickets sent to the Costa Rican Federation by FIFA had to pay an extra 10 percent over face value of tickets. Agencies licenced in the country to resell the tickets were charged an extra $26 per ticket. The federation claims it’s something that other national federations also do. With all the extra money, the Costa Rican Federation was able to pay for the trip of 62 VIPs it invited for the tournament, as well as other expenses related to sponsor contracts and administration costs. According to the Nacion newspaper, 70 percent of the invited people will have a role in the upcoming August election of the federation’s executive committee. These people would likely be grateful to the current administration for paying for their trip to Germany.