Federasi Sepak Bola Internasional (FIFA) memaksa yayasan pemulihan cedera tulang belakang asal Vancouver, Spinal Cord Injury BC, membatalkan pengundian dua tiket Piala Dunia 2026 pada Rabu, 27 Mei 2026.
Dilansir dari The Athletic melalui Lipkus Law, firma hukum Kanada yang mewakili FIFA, pelarangan tersebut dikirimkan melalui surat perintah penghentian karena kegiatan tersebut dianggap melanggar merek dagang dan kebijakan tiket.
Chris McBride, direktur eksekutif Spinal Cord Injury BC, menjelaskan situasi tersebut setelah menerima surat legalitas dari perwakilan federasi sepak bola dunia.
"told us we were in violation of FIFA’s trademark and their ticketing policy." kata Chris McBride, Executive Director Spinal Cord Injury BC.
Pihak yayasan akhirnya memilih untuk mematuhi aturan tersebut demi menjaga fokus pelayanan mereka daripada menghadapi risiko hukum yang berkepanjangan.
"We complied with the trademark issue and decided that it was not worth the time and risk involved to move forward with the raffle. As a charitable non-profit organization, the revenue we bring in is essential for our services and the impact we make through them. In this case, the modest amount of revenue we anticipated making would have helped support our services, but it is those services we need to focus our energy on." kata Chris McBride, Executive Director Spinal Cord Injury BC.
McBride juga menyampaikan kekecewaannya karena komunitas lokal yang tidak mampu membeli tiket resmi akhirnya kehilangan kesempatan untuk berpartisipasi dalam turnamen tersebut.
"While disappointed that we can’t benefit from the world cup being hosted in our province and to provide our dedicated supporters — most who would not be able to afford or access the tickets, with an opportunity to attend a game — we have to respect FIFA’s policies, etc and we did not see going back and forth with FIFA as a reasonable use of our time, especially as we didn’t see a path to a meaningful outcome." kata Chris McBride, Executive Director Spinal Cord Injury BC.
Di sisi lain, ia menilai badan sepak bola dunia tersebut kurang berkontribusi kembali kepada komunitas yang menjadi tuan rumah penyelenggaraan acara.
"I think FIFA is very good at extracting resources from host communities but not so good at giving back. It would be nice to see them create more opportunities for charitable non-profit organizations like SCI BC to experience some benefit from the tournament, as this is one way that the broader community could benefit from it." kata Chris McBride, Executive Director Spinal Cord Injury BC.
Menanggapi kasus tersebut, perwakilan resmi dari organisasi sepak bola global memberikan penjelasan mengenai aturan ketat redistribusi tiket pertandingan.
"While FIFA fully recognises and supports the important work carried out by charities around the world, such use of tickets is not permitted under FIFA’s ticketing framework… These provisions are intended to protect the integrity and fair allocation of tickets, ensure that access is provided through controlled and secure channels, and safeguard the commercial rights that underpin the organisation and delivery of the FIFA World Cup." kata juru bicara FIFA.
Badan regulasi sepak bola ini menegaskan tetap memprioritaskan keamanan serta transparansi sistem bagi seluruh penggemar selama turnamen berlangsung.
"FIFA remains committed to ensuring that the tournament delivers a positive and lasting impact off the pitch, while maintaining a fair, transparent and secure ticketing environment for all fans." kata juru bicara FIFA.
Menurut laporan HITC, pembatalan pengundian dana ini terjadi di tengah sorotan publik terhadap komersialisasi tiket di Vancouver yang akan menggelar tujuh pertandingan di BC Place. Seluruh uang peserta undian kini telah dikembalikan penuh, kecuali sebagian yang memilih merelakannya sebagai donasi langsung ke yayasan.
