"We are looking at measures to ensure more fans make it into the stadiums.
We can only encourage them to buy tickets," FIFA spokesman Nicolas Maingot told German news agency DPA at a press conference Tuesday in Johannesburg. Speculation over free tickets was fuelled after FIFA president Joseph Blatter expressed his North Korea accuses the South of poisoning its football players ...
Ivory Coast stampede kills soccer fans ...
Visa refusal for Dalai Lama stops peace conference ...
South Korea and EU on free trade agreement threshhold ...
Pope holds first open mass in Africa ...
South Korean officials attacked in Yemen ... disappointment at the low turnout for the opening day of the tournament, which featured a match between hosts South Africa and Iraq. A match between defending European champions Spain and New Zealand was particularly empty.
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: FIFA president Joseph Blatter has expressed concern about empty seats at early Confederation Cup matches "We were not happy with the number of people in attendance on the opening match day," Blatter said.
Ticket prices may be too high Organizers insist that all efforts have been made to get the word out to the South African people and encourage them to come to the games.
"You can take the horse to the water but you can't force it to drink the water," said Rich Mkhondo, spokesman for the World Cup local organizing committee.
One reason for the empty seats for the Confederations Cup may be the price of the tickets. The cheapest tickets are priced at 70 South African rand, which is about $8.69 and considerably more than prices for South African league matches. FIFA head Blatter suggested letting some people in for free in order to fill the seats.
"They need to bring in people even if they cannot afford tickets," said Blatter. "The young and poor can be brought into the stadium. Nobody will be offended by that".
The Confederations Cup is considered a dress rehearsal for the World Cup, which South Africa is scheduled to host next year. Aside from the attendence problems, FIFA has said it is pleased with the tournament so far.
mz/dpa/reuters
Editor: Neil King
(Deutsche Welle)
more info >>
<< Back