Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has criticised FIFA’s decision to stop fans bringing refillable water bottles into World Cup stadiums, claiming it is ‘wrong’ and ‘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 2 confirmed reusable bottles were no longer permitted at the tournament, which gets underway on June 11 in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The move has already been criticised by fan groups and scientific experts, who raised concerns about the impact of extreme heat on the welfare of spectators before FIFA’s new water bottle ban.
World football’s governing body claims the ban’s purpose is to ‘prevent risk and injury to players and attendees’.
‘It’s just wrong. And I can’t help but think that it’s about making money,’ the Prime Minister told LBC on Friday. ‘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.’