Iñaki Reche, an Argentine journalist, has been standing in Times Square for weeks with a handwritten sign. His offer is simple: a kiss, a dollar. That is how he has funded every Argentina match at this World Cup, but the final presented him with a different problem.
Tickets for the match against Spain at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey are priced between $10,000 and $60,000. Reche has already given between 30 and 35 kisses and has raised more than $6,000, although he still has not reached the total he needs.
“I’ve been here from the beginning, and honestly, I ran out of money. This ticket is unaffordable, so whatever it takes”, he confessed. His words sum up what many fans feel this week: paying whatever it takes to be there.