FIFA banned reusable water bottles at World Cup stadiums. Olivia Chow called the policy “a pure money grab”
FIFA changed its code of conduct this week, saying water bottles could be used as projectiles
Mayor Olivia Chow isn’t pleased with FIFA’s reusable water bottle policy, which prevents World Cup ticket holders in Toronto and other cities from bringing their own bottles into the stadiums during soccer matches.
The organization made a last-minute modification to its code of conduct this week, and informed ticket holders that because reusable water bottles could be used as projectiles, they wouldn’t be permitted. This, of course, forces patrons to purchase water once inside.
“It is a pure money grab. Why do you need to buy a water bottle when you can just carry your water in? It is cheaper that way and it is good for the environment,” the mayor said when asked by reporters about the policy today. “It is outrageous. They are just trying to make more money. They are already making billions of dollars. Stop it.”
Related: Toronto police have seized $3.5 million in counterfeit sports merchandise ahead of the World Cup
Mayor Chow did offer the suggestion that FIFA should make water free, saying it’s beyond the city’s jurisdiction.
Councillor Josh Matlow, who has previously criticized the city’s World Cup agreement with FIFA, echoed Chow’s sentiments, though he added that the city should fight back against the water bottle ban.
“There is no reason why we can’t push back and tell FIFA listen, ‘there are some things we are willing to compromise on, but when it comes to the health and safety of our residents who are going to be in 30-degree heat or higher in an outdoor stadium exposed to the sun, it is not reasonable to restrict them from bringing safe, transparent, reusable bottles with drinking water,’” Matlow told CP24.
The first of Toronto’s World Cup matches is set to take place on June 12.
Related: Toronto is getting $45 million more for FIFA World Cup security
Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online—politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.
