<p>Brazilian businessman Luis Meyer Blumberg owns the mother of all tickets: a lifetime pass to any event he chooses at Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Maracana stadium.<br /><br /></p>.<p>All except the World Cup, that is.<br /><br />His ticket may very well be stamped “special seat in perpetuity,” but FIFA has pressed the pause button on his eternal access.<br /><br />“For what this piece of plastic is worth today I could virtually have bought an apartment a few years ago. Just a shame it can’t get me a World Cup seat,” Blumberg said.<br /><br />Blumberg is among a select band — including several family members — who can normally attend as many matches as they want, as well as other events. When the Maracana was first built between 1948 and 1950, finances were tight as the project neared completion, so the authorities assigned some 3,000 tickets “in perpetuity” to wealthy fans chipping in.<br /><br />Blumberg managed to buy one almost two decades ago to add to others held by family members. But the owner of four Dimona clothing stores in Rio will have to watch the World Cup on television.<br /><br />FIFA took over his coveted seat to the Maracana stadium for the seven matches there, including the July 13 final.<br /></p>
<p>Brazilian businessman Luis Meyer Blumberg owns the mother of all tickets: a lifetime pass to any event he chooses at Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Maracana stadium.<br /><br /></p>.<p>All except the World Cup, that is.<br /><br />His ticket may very well be stamped “special seat in perpetuity,” but FIFA has pressed the pause button on his eternal access.<br /><br />“For what this piece of plastic is worth today I could virtually have bought an apartment a few years ago. Just a shame it can’t get me a World Cup seat,” Blumberg said.<br /><br />Blumberg is among a select band — including several family members — who can normally attend as many matches as they want, as well as other events. When the Maracana was first built between 1948 and 1950, finances were tight as the project neared completion, so the authorities assigned some 3,000 tickets “in perpetuity” to wealthy fans chipping in.<br /><br />Blumberg managed to buy one almost two decades ago to add to others held by family members. But the owner of four Dimona clothing stores in Rio will have to watch the World Cup on television.<br /><br />FIFA took over his coveted seat to the Maracana stadium for the seven matches there, including the July 13 final.<br /></p>