Pollstar (01/07/19) Gottfried, Gideon

FIFA has been ordered by a Swiss court to pay $17 million in compensation to its long-time ticketing partner JB Sports Marketing (JBSM), who was promised tickets for World Cup tournaments that they never received. JBSM and FIFA agreed in 2010 that JBSM would have the right to purchase and resell "a substantial number of tickets" for the World Cups in 2010, 2014, and 2018. JSBM only received the tickets for the 2010 tournament, while the contract for the 2014 tournament was only partly fulfilled, and no tickets for the 2018 World Cup were received at all. JSBM's 2016 lawsuit against FIFA prompted a complaint that the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland rejected last November. FIFA is expected to have to pay at least another $20 million for the breach of its contract with JBSM regarding the 2018 World Cup, and a FIFA spokesperson stated that the association would "defend itself vigorously" against future claims.

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