As our area gets closer to welcoming the World Cup, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) is urging FIFA to help cover transportation costs for fans heading to and from MetLife Stadium. And he’s calling out the organization, after NJ Transit announced train tickets will run about $150 during the tournament.
The cost is an issue that FIFA can’t seem to escape. First, it was a back-and-forth with Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D-New Jersey). Now, Schumer is giving the soccer giant a piece of his mind.
At a news conference Sunday in Midtown East, Schumer railed against FIFA and its unwillingness to cover transportation costs for New Yorkers to get to and from the eight World Cup matches, including the final that will be held at MetLife Stadium in June and July.
“What the hell?!? Who the hell do you think you are?!?,” Schumer exclaimed.
Schumer says FIFA should cover the costs, estimated to be about $48 million for NJ Transit. With that price tag, commuters were slapped with sticker shock as the transit agency last week said it was forced to charge $150 per round-trip ticket to cover the cost of transporting what NJ Transit estimates to be about 40,000 fans per match at MetLife.
FIFA is projected to bring in about $11 billion in revenue from the multi-state tournament. But in responding to criticism, it made clear that, historically, it has not paid for public transportation costs and it doesn’t plan on doing that this time around.
Schumer is pushing back on that argument, saying the New York-New Jersey region is different because of how densely populated it is, along with the hours-long disruptions the World Cup will cause along the Northeast Corridor — the busiest commuter rail network in the nation.
And because he says FIFA is eliminating parking at MetLife, “you can’t drive, you can’t walk. You must take mass transit or it’s a $225 parking spot at the American Dream mall. So FIFA’s forcing every fan onto public transit and then saying, you got to pay $150 to help NJ Transit carry them.”
Comparatively speaking, other host cities such as Philadelphia and Houston say the cost to ride their transit systems to matches will stay the same — less than $5 per trip in most cases. In Boston, a roundtrip ticket for the bus will cost $95. NBC New York reached out to FIFA regarding Sen. Schumer’s comments, but had yet to hear back early Sunday evening.
