It is interesting to note that the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s estimate of a $578 million cost for Vancouver’s round-ball games is less than two weeks old and is already outdated. Official sources now say British Columbia’s cost for seven matches on the West Coast could reach $729 million.

But hey, there’s still five weeks before Vancouver’s share of the World Cup is over. The numbers have plenty of time to grow.

Maybe Canada should invite a few neighbours to come here from Seattle to manage spending on the World Cup.

World cup tickets in Vancouver for Canada vs. Switzerland range from $980 to $2,450. Round of 16 tickets are available at prices ranging from $3,450 to $3,735. That’s for each ticket!

I am so old that I can remember going regularly to professional sports events and paying $1.75 for a good seat. (Okay, it was for WHL Canucks games, sitting in the corner at the PNE Forum in 1965.)

These numbers emphasize what we already knew. Taxpayers in Canada are on the hook for more than a billion dollars, but people sitting in the stands will mostly be wealthy tax avoiders and evaders.

FIFA’s World Cup proves the sad reality that rich citizens can afford to play because less wealthy citizens are required to pay.