Miami, USA – This Sunday, wahala for football go land for Miami as Club World Cup go kick off. The much-talked-about tournament go start for 01:00 BST and e be like say no be everybody dey feel the vibe. (Wetin happen? We dey wait for clarification!).
Fifa don revise dis tournament, and now dem don add plenty teams and match venues for US. But my people, ticket wahala no fit leave us! People dey shout say ticket sales dey slow like snail for road contraption. Even Messi wey don carry Inter Miami for front, tickets for him first match against Al Ahly don dey hard like rock. (Three for one student discount? Naim we dey go school again?)
Fifa president Gianni Infantino don dey claim say him expect full-house for the Hard Rock Stadium wey fit 65,000 fans. But for person wey search ticket on Friday, cheapest one wey dey available na about £48, while before, dem dey sell dem for as high as £257. Nobody dey gree enter?!
Dem say Fifa dey use dynamic pricing method, wey mean say price go change based on how many people wan buy am. And from the gist, players and clubs dey carry their own wahala; some former players don even talk say the tournament dey crush player welfare like wetin? (But abeg, make dem still show us the money o!).
The lineup no be wetin we fit overlook: we get heavyweights like Real Madrid, PSG, and even one or two underdogs wey fit surprise us. (My bishop, make we pray dem no fall our hand!). But e no de sweet for ears as some legends like Harry Kane dey talk say the tournament go be ‘great experience’. Abeg, we don see this movie before, but we dey hope say e go better.
As American fans dey try find their way to vibe with this tournament, some dey talk say no be all the matches go dey interesting. E go be like event-we-go-pick-our-friends, since Americans sabi wait for the main gist, like waiting for the next big concert. The excitement dey faint. (Even I dey yarn say I go wear Messi shirt, but e be like say dem dey pity me!).
With tickets for some matches like Madrid’s first game against Al-Hilal ranging from £166 upwards, e clear say big names dey attract crowd. But Coca-Cola bottle and popcorn no dey dash anybody ride. The truth? Dis Club World Cup dey come with plenty mixed feelings and nose-pick; but my padi, we dey watch am closely!
Fifa don get tough criticism as Spanish La Liga president don call the tournament ‘absurd’. But Infantino dey jongle talk here and there, say dis one na ‘historic’ and e go reshape football history. Well, we go carry our flag, slice our palm wine and settle down to enjoy the drama wey go unfold. (Until then, wetin dem go show us?).
