Keir Starmer claims FIFA fan bottle ban for World Cup is ‘about making money’

UK prime minister Keir Starmer says FIFA’s decision to stop fans bringing refillable water bottles into World Cup stadiums is “wrong” and was “about making money”.

FIFA’s code of conduct for ticket holders had previously permitted an empty, transparent, reusable bottle of up to one litre capacity to be brought in, but as first reported by The Athletic, an update to ticket holders on June 2nd confirmed reusable bottles were no longer permitted.

The move has already been criticised by fan groups and scientific experts, who were already concerned about the impact of extreme heat on the welfare of spectators before the water bottle ban.

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FIFA says the ban’s purpose is to “prevent risk and injury to players and attendees” but Starmer told LBC: “It’s just wrong. And I can’t help but think that it’s about making money.

“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 asked whether he would contact FIFA, and replied: “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.”

A FIFA spokesperson said about the water bottle ban on Thursday: “FIFA is committed to protecting the health and safety of all players, referees, fans, volunteers and