Timeless ticket no good for Cup

Brazilian businessman Luis Blumberg owns the mother of all tickets - a lifetime pass to any event he chooses at Rio de Janeiro's iconic Maracana stadium.

All except the World Cup, that is.

His ticket might very well be stamped "special seat in perpetuity," but FIFA has pressed the pause button on his eternal access.

"For what this piece of plastic is worth today I could virtually have bought an apartment a few years ago. It's just a shame it can't get me a World Cup seat," Blumberg said.

The grey-haired, sporty 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 who chipped in.

Blumberg, who is in his mid-50s, managed to buy one almost two decades ago to add to others held by family members.

"I had to look lively - they don't come on the market very often. People who have them generally pass them down to their sons," said Blumberg, a loyal fan of Rio soccer giants Flamengo.

But the owner of four clothing stores will have to watch the World Cup on television.

FIFA took over his coveted seat to the Maracana for the seven matches there, including the July 13 final.

Blumberg estimated his seat is worth about $40,000 - a fortune in a country where the per capita income is $11,340, according to the World Bank.

Rio authorities paid "perpetual ticket" holders around $2,250 as compensation for losing their seats for the tournament.

"FIFA bought the ticketing rights wholesale for the entire month of the tournament; they own the event," said Blumberg.

The Maracana has gone from a capacity of 200,000 people to 74,738 after drastic changes were made for the World Cup.

"After the refurbishment, everyone who had one of these tickets had to go and re-register for their new seat," Blumberg said.

"Everyone was hoping they would get World Cup access thrown in - some initially threatened legal action."

Still, Blumberg has fond memories of the events he has attended at the historic stadium.

"I saw Madonna, the Rolling Stones, Rock in Rio. Oh, and Frank Sinatra," he said, though that was before he acquired the lifetime ticket.

"This card means I own my little piece of the Maracana.

"When people ask me, 'What's your hobby?' I say: 'I go to see matches and concerts at the Maracana.' For Brazil games, though, the stadium is for everyone."

While Blumberg plans to reclaim his seat after the World Cup, he lamented that the stadium has lost some of its allure following its modernization.

"They didn't have to completely rebuild it and spend $580 million on it. It was a work of art and they could have remodeled it for maybe 300 million," he said.

"But the spirit of the Maracana remains intact."