Atlanta stadium execs spent $600K in tax dollars on World Cup VIP seats while fretting over ‘crazy’ prices
Atlanta Executives Spend Over $600K on VIP World Cup Seats
Executives at the taxpayer-backed agency that owns Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium secretly spent more than $600,000 on VIP World Cup seats, despite concerns about the high ticket prices and use of public funds, internal emails obtained by The Post reveal.
While regular soccer fans were struggling with FIFA’s high dynamic pricing, executives at the Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA) secured a deal for a luxury suite and 270 premium World Cup seats to entertain clients at the stadium.
The GWCCA’s top officials knew the optics were not favorable, with chief commercial officer Joe Bocherer raising concerns about the cost of a suite and VIP box seats.
Despite the initial hesitation, the agency eventually split the cost of the suite with the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, with the aim of using the seats to attract future business and events to the state.
However, the executives went a step further and obtained another 270 premium seats for the World Cup games in Atlanta, spending a total of $170,000 on tickets for various matches.
The World Cup ticketing controversy has drawn criticism, with President Trump expressing disappointment at the high resale prices. FIFA defended its pricing strategy, stating that it aimed to ensure fair access to tickets.
Despite the backlash and boycott from foreign fans, the World Cup games remain designated as ‘national special security events,’ with over $1 billion in federal taxpayer money allocated for security measures.
