‘Pure money grab:’ Toronto mayor slams FIFA over World Cup water bottle ban

The stadium will no longer permit fans to bring their own reusable bottles to World Cup matches. Mayor Chow calls the rule 'outrageous.'

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says FIFA’s decision to ban World Cup ticket holders from bringing reusable water bottles into stadiums amounts to a “pure money grab.”

Soccer’s governing body made last-minute changes to its stadium code of conduct this week, which will no longer permit fans to bring in their own reusable bottles to World Cup matches.

“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,” Chow said when asked about the change on Thursday.

“It is outrageous. They are just trying to make more money. They are already making billions of dollars. Stop it.”

The FIFA World Cup will begin on June 11, with the first of six games slated for Toronto taking place on June 12.

Speaking with CTV News on Thursday, Chow conceded that there is “not a whole lot” the city can do on the reusable bottle ban as FIFA sets the rules at Toronto Stadium and other World Cup venues.

But she did offer FIFA a proposal that she called a “very beautiful gesture for the people of Toronto.”

“Maybe they could make water bottles free (inside the stadium). That would be good. That is a good gesture and further they could make special FIFA water bottles with free Toronto water,” the mayor said. “It will be safe for everybody, free and give it as a swag.”

In a statement released earlier on Thursday, the Toronto Environment Alliance called FIFA’s water bottle policy a “short-sighted and environmentally harmful decision” that adds to its “growing concerns” about the World Cup’s environmental legacy.

The group said that its own calculations show that “more than a million disposable items could have been saved in Toronto alone from using reusable cups instead of single-use cups throughout the tournament events.”

In a interview with CP24, Toronto City Councillor Josh Matlow called the ban on reusable bottles “fundamentally wrong” and said the city must push back.

“This contract is certainly in FIFA’s favour. I always thought that the city kind of gave the house away when it signed the host city contract,” he said. “That all being said, though, 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.’”

BMO Field, which has been temporarily renamed Toronto Stadium for the FIFA World Cup, has had a long-standing policy permitting ticketholders to bring reusable water bottles into the venue.

CTV News has reached out to FIFA for comment but has not yet received a response.