The first phase of World Cup ticket sales, which will close on March 31, has sparked a wave of excitement among South African football fans.
Ticket applications have been flooding in from 128 countries, with local buyers leading the rush.
But the splurge on World Cup tickets may hurt sales for the Confederations Cup, the dressrehearsal tournament to be staged here this June. Deepening economic woes are not helping matters.
Confederations Cup sales have slowed ominously since the ticketing launch last November, and many cash-strapped applicants have forfeited the tickets they were allotted as soon as payment became due.
LOC boss Danny Jordaan blamed the festive season for the recent sales slump, but he conceded on Friday that some hard selling might be required to fill the stands in June.
“We will continue to monitor the sales of tickets during March and April, and will then intensify our sales and marketing efforts if need be, to include, for example, the implementation of mass mobilisation programmes,” said Jordaan.
“Already we have been engaging the embassies of the participating countries and other stakeholders and are working on promotional plans for some of the less high-profile games. However, we remain confident of good crowds at all Confederations Cup games.”
Group fixtures involving Bafana Bafana, Brazil, Spain and Italy will probably sell out. But there’s a risk that the less compelling group ties will be thinly attended — notably Iraq versus New Zealand at the 60000- capacity Ellis Park, and Egypt versus the US at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium.
The sight of swathes of empty seats at a major tournament would be embarrassing, and wouldn’t bode well for crowd numbers at low-wattage World Cup group games, of which there will be plenty.
Confederations Cup Category 4 tickets, reserved for South African residents, are very cheaply priced — at just R70 for group matches, rising to R210 for the final.
However, most of the tickets fall into Categories 1, 2 and 3 (which command better views of the action), and will cost local buyers much more — between R210 and R700 for group games. From April 1 until the end of the tournament, tickets must be paid for upfront at the point of sale.
But local fans take a last-minute approach to buying football tickets. An Absa Premiership ticket costs only R20, but attendances at most games are below 10000. Many fans still buy their tickets at the ground on match day, and many even arrive after the game has begun.
Fifa has budgeted for a minimum 60% sale of World Cup tickets, but anticipates a much higher percentage that would yield hefty profits.
SA 2010 could be the first World Cup staged amid a global recession since 1978. But David Will, chairman of Fifa’s ticketing sub-committee, says that fans’ patriotic passion will override their money worries.
“I would be naive to suggest there will be no backlash as a result of the financial crisis,” he told Sapa.
“But soccer fans are a funny breed, who will go to South Africa come hell or high water if their own country qualifies for the World Cup — and we’ll need to wait until the final 32 qualifiers are known before gaining a more accurate assessment,” said Will.
Jordaan said the main work on all four Confederations Cup stadiums — Ellis Park, Loftus Versfeld, Royal Bafokeng and Free State Stadium — were now complete.
“Fifa and the organising committee completed a stadium inspection tour of all four venues on February 25, and a full report will be tabled at the meeting of the board next week,” said Jordaan.
(Source: Thetimes.co.za)
