Reports suggest large volumes of tickets for Scotland v Haiti have appeared on resale sites ahead of 14 June.
That creates an awkward backdrop for a tournament opener. A World Cup match should feel like a hot ticket. When supporters see unsold seats and chaotic resale pricing instead, it raises obvious questions about whether some group-stage fixtures were priced too aggressively from the start.
Noon’s argument is a pointed one. He said matches viewed as “less desirable” were hardest hit, and he also argued may have boxed itself in. If fans paid full price early, sharp official reductions later would risk angering those supporters. Yet if prices stay high, the market drifts elsewhere.
That is where the issue becomes political as much as commercial. Reports have suggested has warned fans about unofficial resale channels while also appearing to work within the secondary market to move inventory. Even with cautious wording, that contradiction is hard to ignore.
There are football reasons for interest in Scotland, especially with Morocco and Brazil also in the group. But ticket demand is rarely driven by football alone. Travel restrictions, location, kickoff times and opponent appeal all matter. Haiti, unfairly perhaps, looks to have landed on the wrong side of that equation.
The next clue will come on matchday itself. If Scotland’s opener is played in front of visible empty patches, the ticket debate will only grow louder before the games against Morocco on 19 June and Brazil on 24 June.