Shadowing Practice: How Greed is Destroying FIFA - Learn English Speaking with Video
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This is the Rueda family.
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They love soccer, or football.
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The family attended Mexico's World Cups in 1970 and 1986, but for 2026 they are staying home.
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Why? FIFA priced them out. In 1994, the cheapest seat at the World Cup final, yes, the final, was $404 when adjusted for inflation.
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The most expensive? $1,067.
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Fast forward to today and the cheapest non-resale seat is $2,030.
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The most expensive $10,990.
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But the resale market is even crazier, with some tickets going for $2.3 million.
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All of this will be great for FIFA.
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They expect to earn $11 billion in revenue from the 2026 tournament, up from $7.5 billion at Qatar in 2022 and $5.36 billion at Russia in 2018.
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But strangely, this might be terrible for the beautiful game.
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Something insidious is happening inside of FIFA.
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I am Kam for 2&20 and this is FIFA: The Actual Winner of the World Cup.
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Okay. Full disclosure, I love soccer. or football.
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I love it so much that I won four tickets to the round of 32.
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And four tickets to the round of 16.
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Now, I say won because although I got through the lottery, the tickets did not come cheap.
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Each ticket sent me back nearly $1,000 CAD for a total of $8,000.
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After I recovered from my wallet being drained, I wondered how will fans from lower income countries afford this?
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Today, the cheapest seat available on the official platform across all 104 matches is around $200 ish.
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The cheapest seat to a USA match is about $1,100.
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The cheapest final ticket is $2,030, but let's compare that against the median income in Italy.
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Oh, sorry, Italy didn't qualify.
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What about France?
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The median income before taxes is around $51,000 USD.
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Not looking good.
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What about the last competition champions, Argentina?
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They're around $8,000.
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Or perennial challenger? Brazil.
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They're around $7,666.
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We can go on and on and on.
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But I think the point is pretty clear.
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These tickets are out of reach for most fans around the world, but whatever.
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Maybe you bite the bullet and buy a category one ticket.
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Well, FIFA probably screwed you.
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Remember those tickets I won through the random draw?
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You see, they were category one, and I thought, wow, these seats are going to be insane.
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But then I noticed something.
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My brother also won seats basically beside me, and so did nearly everyone else I know who won.
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We were all placed in these little corners of the stadium.
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I'd normally be okay with this, but in this case, FIFA showed seating maps that made it look like regular fans could buy seats along the lower sidelines.
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Instead, FIFA kept the vast majority of those seats aside for “On Location”, which sells expensive hospitality packages.
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Think VIP tickets with food, lounge access, etc..
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It's so bad, the California attorney General opened a consumer protection investigation in May.
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But what is “On Location”?
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On Location is a company owned by Endeavor, which is run by the real life Ari Emmanuel.
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The guy fictionalized in Entourage.
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It was originally launched by the NFL to sell packages to the Super Bowl, and now they hold the exclusive contract to sell hospitality for all 16 World Cup venues.
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Listen to how crazy this is!
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Their cheapest three match group stage bundle is $5,300 per person.
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Their flagship eight match MetLife package, the one that includes the final, is $73,200 per person, and the craziest, a full private box at a venue series runs over $100,000.
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Okay, maybe you don't care about the tickets.
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Fine. What about everything else?
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Hotels across North America have all increased significantly.
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For example, in Vancouver, 350 days before, hotel rooms were $584, 164 days before the tournament, they increased to $775.
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Then you need to consider what it cost to enter the U.S..
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International fans from visa waiver countries pay $40 for an ESTA.
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That's up from $21 in September 2025.
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Under the One Big Beautiful Bill act.
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Fans from countries that need a full B1 or B2 visa pay $435, which includes a new $250 visa integrity fee that did not exist before October 2025.
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That is a lot of money.
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We're not even mentioning that in cities like New York, S.F.
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or Vancouver. You pay $8 just for a coffee.
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This isn't Russia, where $2.50 gets you the deed to your cousin Igor's house.
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Or airline prices which have gone through the roof in June and July, made even worse by the Iran and U.S. war.
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You have to keep in mind, people didn't know they were coming to this World Cup until a few months ago.
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FIFA's defense for all of this is summed up by two quotes from FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
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So we have to apply market rates.
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You cannot go to watch in the US a college game, not even speaking about a top professional game of a certain level for for less than $300.
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And this is the World Cup.
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Listen, you could convince me that the final might reach those prices in America, but group stage matches shouldn't be reaching prices similar to Yankees postseason games or SEC rivalry games, or even some Super Bowl games.
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And many fan support associations have raised the exact same concerns.
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Football Supporters Europe, the umbrella body that represents all national fan groups in Europe, launched a formal complaint with the European Commission against FIFA for abusing its dominant position and for exorbitant prices.
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But this doesn't end just with fans.
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FIFA also dominates the host nations, states and cities.
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So let's say you're not flying to MetLife.
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You're going to be watching from home like the rest of us.
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Even that has gone complicated.
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In India, you still don't have an official broadcaster, and China only closed a deal three weeks before kick off.
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Travel during the tournament and your home subscription probably won't work where you land.
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Sadly, our beautiful game has borders now.
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The fix is a VPN, specifically Proton VPN.
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You pick a server in a country that carries a match and you watch the match.
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Simple. That's it.
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And you want to know the reason I picked Proton over the other VPNs?
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It's because they actually mean it, when it comes to privacy.
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They're Swiss-based, foundation-led, open source and built on European privacy law, and their no logs policy is verified by most independent auditors.
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Most VPN companies sell the data they promise to protect.
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But Proton doesn't.
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Link is in the description and gets you an exclusive discount.
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Big thanks to Proton for sponsoring this one.
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Now, back to FIFA, who is somehow making this whole thing worse.
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If you've watched our channel before, you know that we like to call out bad deals and bad governance.
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Making a deal with FIFA might be one of the worst deals a government can make.
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There are three things to look at here.
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One: The host responsibilities. Two: The host concessions.
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And Three: the host revenues.
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Let's begin with the responsibilities.
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Each US host city is on the hook for 100 or 200 million in direct costs covering stadium retrofits, fan festivals, transportation, security, and more.
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BC Place alone required $170 to 180 million in stadium retrofits, and another 24 million for a high end grass training facility for teams.
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Additionally, if we look at Vancouver, the total cost of running the games is $578 million.
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The federal government is providing $215 million, whereas the B.C.
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government is providing $362 million.
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If we do some simple math, that is $82 million of taxpayer money per game.
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Now, this might sound bad, but there are far worse examples.
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When Brazil hosted in 2014, they spent $270 million USD for 43,000 seat stadium deep in the Amazon.
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I mean, look at this map.
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The town of Manaus is only accessible by plane or boat.
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Today, the stadium generally sits empty, at most seeing 1000 fans for the local team games.
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A similar thing was seen for the 2010 South Africa World Cup.
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This is where Cape Town Stadium was built for $600 million on prime waterfront real estate.
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Again, it basically sits empty, but outside of stadiums and other responsibilities, FIFA also requires significant concessions.
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The first one: taxes. Hosts must grant FIFA and its commercial partners broad tax exemptions.
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No corporate tax.
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No sales tax. No municipal tax, no nothing.
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But one could argue these revenues would not have been there in the first place.
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And so maybe the governments aren't losing anything.
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But then there are the exclusionary clean zones.
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This zone is typically a two kilometer radius around the stadiums and fan festivals, where FIFA basically blocks all promotions that they don't have their grubby little hands on.
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Moreover, this zone is often closed, preventing people from driving or even going to work at all.
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Or in my case, going to Costco.
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Listen to this.
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So my barber had to close his business on game days, and he's going to receive zero compensation from the government.
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How is that fair?
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Cities are also required to remove graffiti, any unwanted signs or unwanted people.
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Local events aren't even allowed to run during the same time as FIFA, and the list goes on and on and on and on.
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One of the most incredible concessions required is that cities must guarantee hotel rooms for FIFA staff, teams and tourists.
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Now, neither FIFA nor cities can mandate hotels to reserve rooms.
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But when the government comes knocking on your door, it's pretty hard to say no.
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But these hotel rooms are not guaranteed, though.
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In fact, FIFA was allowed to cancel their bookings as late as spring 2026, and FIFA did just this.
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Now, not all cities were hit hard, but Vancouver saw nearly 80% of their blocked rooms released, or roughly 15,000 room nights.
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It's so bad that hotel bookings are actually lower than last summer.
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Which, may I remind you, was a regular summer.
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But the argument that government officials will give is that this will bring incredible benefits to the city.
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They project significant revenues.
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But is that true?
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Firstly, none of and we mean literally none of the revenue generated by FIFA from tickets, advertising, beverage sales, merchandise sales or anything else go to the host governments.
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Not even for these hideous host city jerseys, which cost nearly $400.
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Can we take a moment to appreciate just how much of a money grab this is?
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I mean, look at these jerseys and even the marketing for them.
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Do these people even know what soccer fans are like?
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Okay, so if they don't make money from FIFA activities, how do they make money?
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Let's use Canada as an example, because it's arguably the worst off and because the US fought for some tax revenues.
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The government is projecting a $3.8 billion gross economic impact, whatever that means.
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That's against $1 billion of estimated costs.
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Not bad. Right? A $2.8 billion gain?
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Maybe the $3.8 billion gets broken down into $2 billion of GDP, $1.3 billion in labor income and $700 million in government revenue, or $4 billion.
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Wait a minute. The numbers don't add up.
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GEP is the total value of all goods and services produced, including intermediate inputs. In regular human speech, it is double counting.
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The better framework for this is to think about how much the government is spending, the GDP they spend may generate and the revenue the government is collecting.
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Okay, so the government is spending $1 billion, give or take, to generate $2 billion of GDP.
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That is a two times multiplier on money spent.
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But that $2 billion of GDP is most likely overstated.
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Let me give you an example.
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If someone from Calgary was planning to vacation in Kelowna for the summer and spend $2,000, but they are now going to Vancouver to spend some of that $2,000.
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How do you account for this?
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Is that $0 of FIFA GDP or $2,000 of FIFA GDP?
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The government would say $2,000, but we would say that is wrong.
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Furthermore, so far, early data suggests that tourism in cities like Vancouver is actually down compared to last year.
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But more alarming is that the government will only collect $700 million in taxes for this event, which is $300 million less than it spent.
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Now, normally when a government makes an investment, they hope the investment will generate GDP and taxes for the long run.
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For example, if a government spends $1 billion on an airport, that airport may generate $300 million in tax revenues each year.
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But it will do that for decades, making the investment worth it.
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In addition, it will generate GDP for decades.
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The FIFA World Cup is a one time event.
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It will never generate more money for anyone in Canada, the US or Mexico.
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This is the maximum financial impact.
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Let's summarize this deal.
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The government spends hundreds of millions, if not billions, gives up dozens of concessions, earns zero direct revenue, all for the opportunity to lose money.
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Honestly, the government might as well give every citizen a one time stimulus check. It would have been better for the economy.
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As mentioned, I love soccer, or football.
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It is the greatest sport on earth.
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You can come from any part of the world, from any income, background and make it.
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You can be a 5’7 kid with growth hormone deficiency and become the GOAT.
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Sorry, Ronaldo fans.
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That is why it's such a spectacle.
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Because no matter where you are from the world, you know what football is.
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And FIFA knows this.
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They've turned a page in their history and become increasingly commercial.
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Increasingly American. Charging hundreds and in some cases, thousands for tickets to games that price out soccer-loving families like the Rueda’s all over the world.
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They grease the hands of politicians who agree to absurd policies that leave government coffers empty, but line the pockets of FIFA.
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And in doing so, FIFA generates billions.
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And at the end of the tournament, when the winner is lifting the trophy, we will all know who the real winner actually is.
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Thank you for watching.
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By the way, we're going to be doing a part two where we look at where FIFA spends its money and how that money gets siphoned for corruption.
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So make sure you're subscribed for that. Bye.
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Vocabulario y notas de pronunciación para esta lección
Esta lección de conversación de nivel B2 se basa en el vídeo “How Greed is Destroying FIFA”. Las palabras que más se repiten: Fifa, billion, ticket, fan, revenue. Este vídeo tiene 187 frases y 2336 palabras para practicar shadowing. La parte hablada dura 14:42. El hablante habla a un ritmo natural de unas 159 palabras por minuto, cercano a una conversación cotidiana. El 84 % de las palabras está entre las 3.000 más comunes del inglés; conviene repasar el resto antes de empezar.
Vocabulario clave de este vídeo
Las 15 palabras más avanzadas del vídeo, con su pronunciación y significado:
| Palabra | Pronunciación | Significado |
|---|---|---|
| visa sustantivo | /ˈviːzə/ | visa, visado |
| resale sustantivo | /ˈriˌseɪl/ | reventa |
| retrofit verbo | /ˌɹɛtɹoʊˈfɪt/ | modernizar |
| booking sustantivo | /ˈbʊkɪŋ/ | reserva |
| hospitality sustantivo | /ˌhɑ.spɪˈtæl.ə.ti/ | hospitalidad |
| median sustantivo | /ˈmiː.di.ən/ | mediana |
| auditor sustantivo | /ˈɔːdɪtɚ/ | auditor, auditora |
| coffer sustantivo | /ˈkɔfɚ/ | cofre |
| exclusionary adjetivo | excluyente | |
| exorbitant adjetivo | /ɪɡˈzoɹbətənt/ | exorbitante |
| grubby adjetivo | /ˈɡɹʌbi/ | mugroso, sucio |
| hideous adjetivo | /ˈhɪd.i.əs/ | chocante, espantoso |
| insidious adjetivo | /ɪnˈsɪdi.əs/ | insidioso |
| kilometre sustantivo | /kɪˈlɑmɪtəɹ/ | kilómetro, quilómetro |
| multiplier sustantivo | /ˈmʌltɪˌplaɪəɹ/ | multiplicador |
Phrasal verbs que vas a escuchar
| Palabra | Pronunciación | Significado |
|---|---|---|
| add up verbo | adicionar | |
| call out verbo | especificar | |
| get through verbo | /ɡɛt ˈθɹu/ | aguantar, salir adelante |
| give up verbo | rendirse, entregar | |
| go through verbo | atravesar | |
| run over verbo | atropellar, arrollar | |
| sum up verbo | sumar |
Frases que vale la pena repetir
Frases cortas y completas del vídeo que puedes reutilizar en la conversación diaria:
- Remember those tickets I won through the random draw?
- Let's begin with the responsibilities.
- How do you account for this?
Gramática en este vídeo
Las estructuras que más usa el hablante, con las palabras exactas del vídeo:
| Estructura | En el vídeo |
|---|---|
| Voz pasiva be + participio pasado — importa lo que ocurre, no quién lo hace | being drained · is run · is summed |
| Present perfect have/has + participio pasado — una acción pasada que sigue importando ahora | have gone · have raised · has gone |
| Oraciones de relativo who / which + oración — información extra sobre una persona o cosa | Endeavor, which is · prices which have · event, which is |
Pronunciación a tener en cuenta
El hablante usa 25 contracciones y formas reducidas, como don't, they're, you're. Dilas en su forma corta, tal como las oyes.
- Los sonidos de “sh” y “zh”: concession /kənˈsɛʃən/, fictionalize /ˈfɪk.ʃən.əl.aɪz/, deficiency /dɪˈfɪʃənsi/, exemption /ɪɡˈzɛm(p).ʃən/, flagship /ˈflæɡʃɪp/
- Palabras largas — cuida el acento: hospitality /ˌhɑ.spɪˈtæl.ə.ti/, exorbitant /ɪɡˈzoɹbətənt/, fictionalize /ˈfɪk.ʃən.əl.aɪz/, insidious /ɪnˈsɪdi.əs/, kilometre /kɪˈlɑmɪtəɹ/
Sonidos difíciles para hispanohablantes:
- s + consonante al inicio — sin añadir una “e” delante: spectacle /ˈspɛktəkl̩/, strangely /ˈstɹeɪnd͡ʒli/, stimulus /ˈstɪm.jə.ləs/, sponsor /ˈspɒn.səː/
- /v/ — no es /b/: los dientes tocan el labio inferior: visa /ˈviːzə/, overstate /ˌoʊ.vɚˈsteɪt/, waiver /ˈweɪ.vɚ/, beverage /ˈbɛv(ə)ɹɪd͡ʒ/, rivalry /ˈɹaɪ.vəl.ɹi/
- /z/ — sonora, no /s/: visa /ˈviːzə/, exorbitant /ɪɡˈzoɹbətənt/, fictionalize /ˈfɪk.ʃən.əl.aɪz/, summarize /ˈsʌməˌɹaɪz/, exemption /ɪɡˈzɛm(p).ʃən/
Cómo practicar con este vídeo
- Escucha el vídeo entero una vez sin hablar y anota las palabras que no conoces.
- Empieza a velocidad 0,75×, haz shadowing frase por frase y vuelve a la velocidad normal cuando te resulte fácil.
- Grábate y compara con el original, prestando atención a palabras como visa, resale, retrofit.
¿Qué es la Técnica de Shadowing?
Shadowing es una técnica de aprendizaje de idiomas respaldada por la ciencia, desarrollada originalmente para la formación de intérpretes profesionales y popularizada por el políglota Dr. Alexander Arguelles. El método es simple pero poderoso: escuchas audio en inglés nativo y lo repites en voz alta de inmediato, como una sombra que sigue al hablante con solo 1-2 segundos de retraso. A diferencia de la escucha pasiva o los ejercicios de gramática, el shadowing obliga a tu cerebro y músculos de la boca a procesar y reproducir simultáneamente patrones de habla reales. Las investigaciones muestran que mejora significativamente la precisión de la pronunciación, la entonación, el ritmo, el habla conectada, la comprensión auditiva y la fluidez al hablar, convirtiéndola en una de las metodologías más efectivas para la preparación del IELTS Speaking y la comunicación en inglés en el mundo real.