Organisers blame South Africans for empty seats 16/06/2009 |
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World Cup organisers have called for a better response from the South African public at next year's finals after the opening day of the Confederations Cup brought disappointing crowds.
"You can take a horse to water but you can't force it to drink," organising committee spokesman Rich Mkhondo told a briefing in Johannesburg on Monday.
"We have emphasised many times this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Our job is to stage the event but it is up to the South Arian nation to attend it."
Neither of the two matches on the opening day of the Confederations Cup on Sunday managed a capacity crowd, despite it being the first major footballing event of its kind on the African continent.
South Africa played against Iraq to a crowd of under 50,000 in a 61,000-capacity stadium at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
Attendance at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg for the match between European champions Spain and New Zealand was 21,649, just over half its 42,000 capacity.
The cheapest ticket prices are 70 rand (5.31 pounds) more than three times the price of ticket for South African league matches.
Mkhondo said cutting ticket prices was not an item on any current agenda.
FIFA said last week more than 70 percent of tickets had been sold for the Confederations Cup, a tournament which also features Brazil and current world champions Italy.
(Source: Reuters)
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