Dec 18, 2025
3 min read
Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane was famously fearless and intimidating.During his 12 years at Old Trafford, the Irish midfielder won 17 trophies and left his mark on many opposing players.
Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane was fearless and intimidating.In 12 years at Old Trafford, the Irish midfielder won 17 trophies and left his mark on many rivals.
But his most lasting contribution to football was a comment he made after a UEFA Champions League match in 2000, when he asked for a shrimp sandwich to mock the vulgarity of football.
"Some people come to Old Trafford and I don't think they can write football, let alone understand it," Keane complained."They've had a few drinks and probably a few shrimp sandwiches and they don't understand what's going on on the field."
The vitriolic comment captured the imagination of the media, giving rise to the pejorative term "shrimp sandwich brigade", which was used to describe privileged fans disconnected from football's working-class roots and more interested in social spectacle than cheering for their team. Historically, prawns were a luxury item and a subtle display of status and wealth at afternoon tea.Squeezing out traditional fans, their seats are occupied by upscale, gourmet fans.
A quarter century after Keane accused those fans of swearing in football stadiums, fans and broadcasters still refer to anyone who doesn't like a shrimp sandwich with derision.
They could not use the phrase in the USIt., But many can connect to the sentiment around major sporting events like the Super Bowl, where the admission price is prohibitive for many.
Two weeks before this year's exhibition game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans, Super Bowl LIX announced that the purchase price will be approximately $9,800.Awards on travel, accommodation, food and shopping, and an event even outside the top 1% imaginable;websites, celebrity sightings and special tricks like on-field action.For entrepreneurs who want to participate.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino and US President Donald Trump have happily billed the 2026 World Cup as an event of 104 Super Bowls, and it seems the games have been priced accordingly.Watching any of the three host nations in next summer's opener will cost an average of $1,825, three times the price of Qatar's 2022 opener and nearly three and a half the price of Russia's 2018 opener.
Globally, football fans are outraged.England fan Nigel Sealy written on X, describing the prices as "Mad".Seace, a dedicated supporter for 30 years, posted a list of prices quoted to the England Supporters' Travel Club for each of the eight matches they can play, including a cost of between $ 4,185 and $ 8,860 for the last.
He said: "I think I'll watch the final at home if England get there. When I get to the groups I hope they do the quarter-finals at home. I can't justify paying that money, it's a joke."
Perhaps in response to some of the criticism, FIFA on Tuesday announced a new tier of prices for some dedicated supporters of each qualifying team, allowing some fans to watch matches for just $60.But, in a confusingly worded statement, it was not clear how many tickets would actually be sold at the reduced price, other than that each participating member association would be responsible for the allocation.
Soccer is still a developing sport in the United States, but despite FIFA's stated commitment to growing it globally, Jogo Bonito's global governing body doesn't seem too concerned about the generally high prices.They report that 2 million tickets have already been sold and claim "extraordinary global demand" for another 20 million.
At the event's press conference in Washington, DC, Trump praised Infantino, saying: "You've set new records for ticket sales, it's unbelievable. The numbers are beyond all numbers."
But when the competition starts on June 11 in Mexico City, who will be there?And the 16 concerts in Mexico, Canada and the US were all sold out?
If FIFA's ambitious Club World Cup tournament earlier this summer is any indication, it could be cause for concern.The games are prohibitively expensive and some are played in half-empty stadiums, with many open seats visible to broadcast cameras.
The World Cup is a global soccer tournament, but the United States and its 11 host cities now look anything but hospitable.Iran and Haiti are on the government's blacklist, and fans from those countries will not be allowed to enter.Full and partial bans and restrictions on access to World Cup participants Ivory Coast and many other countries, including Senegal.
The message from many administration officials around the tournament has encouraged supporters to come to the US.It.For the games and then allow quickly.
"We want them to celebrate. We want them to watch the game. But when the time comes, they have to go home," Vice President J.D. Vance said at the White House earlier this year.
Meanwhile, White House rhetoric suggests that it will become increasingly difficult for anyone to secure a travel visa to the United States;years of social media activity may have to be revealed and DNA samples provided, so American fans may have to buy most tokens amid a well-documented affordability crisis.
When push comes to shove, how many will be brought in to spend thousands of dollars on just 90 minutes of soccer puns compared to the responsibility of providing health care for the family or putting food on the table?
Ahead of the big World Cup tournament, FIFA has been accused of greed from the industry pool, hitting the pockets of the game's lifeblood sponsors.Unless they pay close attention to pricing, they may find that they have bitten off more than they can chew.
Real fans bring power and noise;they will provide the soundtrack to the game. They can also cause the clinking of champagne glasses and the sound of all the prawn sandwiches being eaten at the reception table.
