Sawt Falasteen - 'Elitist' World Cup leaves Mexican soccer family on sidelines

But sky-high prices for tickets to the first World Cup in their homeland in 40 years has relegated the trio of men to the sidelines.

For the first time since Mexico first hosted the extravaganza in 1970, Fernando Rueda will have to sit out the tournament at home, along with his son and grandson.

World football body FIFA has faced searing criticism over the cost of tickets to the upcoming World Cup in June and July, being co-hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico.

Victor Hugo "Jairo" Rueda, a 51-year-old financial advisor, tried everything to get tickets to one of the 13 games being hosted by Mexico.

After being looked over in the official lottery, in which tickets started at $60, he was left to the mercy of resale sites, where tickets can change hands for thousands of dollars above face value.

On the resale site StubHub, a non-VIP ticket for the opening game was on offer Thursday for $16,769 (about 290,000 Mexican pesos).

"The tickets have become unaffordable," Jairo said in an interview at his home near the Azteca football stadium, where the opening game will be played, accusing FIFA of turning football into a "classist, elitist" pursuit.

The experience of his 86-year-old father, a retired civil servant and veteran of two World Cups, underscores the transformation of the game.

In 1986, when Mexico hosted the World Cup for the second time, Fernando received tickets to three matches -- Argentina-South Korea, Mexico-Iraq and England-Paraguay -- from a coworker, who was "not such a big" football fan.

- Memories of Maradona -

"My two sons went to all three," Fernando said proudly.

His colleague's gesture seems unthinkable in 2026, when online resale makes it easy to find buyers willing to fork out tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars for top fixtures.

Jairo has "crystal-clear memories" of 1986.

He was 12 years old at the time and "already completely hooked on soccer."

He cherishes the memory of Argentine wunderkind Diego Maradona, still winces at the penalty missed by Mexican star forward Hugo Sanchez against Paraguay and recalls his trepidation at finding himself shoulder-to-shoulder in the stands with English hooligans.

"There were lines at the ticket booths when you entered the stadium because you could buy tickets on the day of the match," he said.

Both father and son wax lyrical about the euphoria that gripped the Mexican capital during previous tournaments.

Fernando, a devotee of Pele, who led one of the best Brazilian teams in history to triumph in the 1970 edition, reminisces about watching the matches at work.

"Somehow, we managed to get a colleague who had a television to bring it to the office, and that's where we watched the matches, without getting too excited because it was a government office," he said, smiling at the memory.

- 'I feel frustrated' -

Over a half-century later, his 13-year-old grandson Emilio, who has been playing football since the age of six, feels shortchanged by his first World Cup on home soil.

"I feel a little frustrated that I can't go," he said, admitting to being "envious" of his father and grandfather's past World Cup journeys.

Gathered around the family table, the three fans display their treasures -- including Panini sticker albums from Mexico 1986 through Qatar 2022, jerseys, and memorabilia of their favorite teams and players.

Although cautious about the prospects of glory for the national side El Tri, all three are decked out in Mexican colors.

"I'm still hoping I might get lucky and be able to snag a ticket at a good price, so I can go with my dad, my son, and my brother," Jairo said.

W.Mansour--SF-PST