Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal game between England and Argentina carries plenty of drama. On the field and off.
Via the London Times, a meeting of FIFA, the FBI, and the Atlanta police department has resulted in a determination that it will be the “highest risk” game of the entire tournament.
There’s a history between the teams — and the countries. Per the report, the Falklands War of 1982 continues to be a sticking point, 44 years later.
The FIFA ticketing policy will result in the fans being intermingled throughout much of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. However, official ticket allocations for the two teams will be at opposite ends of the stadium, with each group having its own entrance in order to limit the possibility of incidents.
The two teams last faced each other in a 2005 “friendly.” Three years earlier, England beat Argentina on a penalty kick by David Beckham. (The attempt was the result of a foul committed by Mauricio Pochettino, the current coach of the U.S. team.)
Then there’s the perception that FIFA favors Argentina and international superstar Lionel Messi. If anything questionable happens in a way that favors Argentina, the noise will get loud.
It should be a great game. At last word, the get-in price was $2,951 if any tickets were available. As of this morning, via Sports Business Journal, none were.
So if you’ll be there, behave. At those prices, the last thing you want is to get escorted out.
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