Matt Cooper

America, Canada and Mexico getting ready for the World Cup before we do our big preview next Thursday of the games themselves.

It's Dave Hannigan, of course, based in New York and author of We Need to Talk About Roy, The Keenification of Modern Ireland.

Dave, thanks very much for joining us.

So, World Cup in the United States.

Story of the last couple of days.

You can't bring a bottle of water into the stadium with you.

What's that one about?

OK, there's so much there I want to get back and unpack.

Actually, stay with the train tickets.

Who's making the money out of this?

Is that FIFA or is that the train operators or the state?

Is this on the basis that if they were to do that to fans who go back on a regular basis, there'd be uproar.

But they're gambling these are one-off attendees who take being ripped off for the World Cup experience because they don't expect to be back in that stadium again.

OK, and go back to the water thing, because only three weeks ago, FIFA's official stadium code of conduct put in a clause saying, for the avoidance of doubt, empty, transparent, reusable plastic bottles up to one litre in capacity may be brought into the stadium.

And clearly they were put under pressure by Coca-Cola to get rid of that.

That's a reasonable assumption, I think, isn't it?

Well, indeed, because I'm sure there are many people listening who were at the World Cup in 1994, like you and I would have been fortunate enough to be there.

I think you were there, weren't you?

All right.

OK, well, I was lucky enough to be in the Giants stadium the day that Ireland beat Italy.