Argentinian government officials have reportedly been forced to open a dialogue with Panini to ease public concern over a lack of World Cup stickers.
The legendary sticker album first started publishing packs for the 1970 tournament in Mexico with thousands of fans latching on to complete the book before Brazil’s mesmerising 4-1 victory over Italy. Now shipping millions of sticker albums worldwide, the Italian company is gearing up for its 14th consecutive World Cup campaign and demand is as popular as ever.
Producing around 10 million packets a day ahead of the 2018 competition in Russia, Panini claim that demand is now at a 40% increase, leading to severe sticker shortages.
READ MORE: Victoria Beckham sparked ‘unhelpful’ frenzy at 2006 World Cup with wild antics
Needing to bag 670 stickers to complete this year’s edition, La Nacion report that Panini are struggling to cope with the mass market with newsagents and supermarkets completely sold out of packs.
Such is the nationwide outrage, the Argentinian government have reluctantly stepped in to solve the crisis. “The meeting began to assess the situation of the World Cup figurines market,” tweeted the official account of the Secretary of Commerce of the Argentine Republic.
“From @ComercioArg we open a dialogue channel between @ukraok and @PaniniArg, making our legal and technical teams available to collaborate in the search for possible solutions.”
HAVE YOUR SAY! Will you be collecting World Cup stickers this year? Let us know in the comments section.
(Image: Twitter/@ComercioArg)
(Image: LoddonAuctions/Bournemouth News/REX/Shutterstock)
With a five-sticker pack costing 90p, football finance expert Kieran Maguire has calculated that completing the official Qatar 2022 book could cost fans up to £883.80. “If you put the numbers into a probability machine, that’s the way it works out,” he told the BBC.
Assuming supporters manage to get all 670 tickets on your first go, the cheapest cost of completing the 2022 edition stands at £120.60. And, Maguire believes the cost of living crisis will have no bearing on the sky-high demand.
“I’m always up for doing it. You have to look at it as a four-year thing,” he continued. “My favourite memory is swapping with your mates when there’s loads of you around the table swapping.”
Kieran added: “There’s no better feeling than that final sticker in that final team, especially if it’s done before the tournament starts.”
READ NEXT: