Over half a million World Cup 2010 tickets are still unsold, and there are seats available for practically every game in South Africa except the July 11 final in Johannesburg. So FIFA has now decided to approach ticket sales from a different direction, making them available in various malls and big supermarket chains across South Africa. Local fans can now buy World Cup tickets and pay with cash, the preferred method of payment for South Africans. FIFA had been widely criticised before for insisting on selling tickets only over the internet, but now just a few days before the World Cup kicks off they are finally backing up.
To make sure all World Cup tickets will get sold, FIFA is also slashing down on the price of each magic paper. Residents of South Africa can now purchase a ticket for less than $20 and there is already a huge increase in sales according to officials. There was a total of 2.2 million tickets made available for the World Cup tournament, but in many cases the price would go up to $900 for good game seats, a forbidden amount for most locals. South Africans were of course complaining, a ticket to a regular football game is usually less than $5, but now this new arrangement should be beneficiary for everyone.
This is the first time in history that World Cup tickets are made available this way, and obviously desperate times call for desperate measures even for one of the biggest sporting events in the world. FIFA and the government of South Africa are doing everything they can to make sure the tournament is a success, even if it means the option to buy tickets while doing your groceries.
World Cup 2010 - Related posts:
- 64 year old fan dies while waiting for tickets A 64 year old South African collapsed and died today in Johannesburg while waiting in a queue to purchase tickets...
- 2000 extra tickets for World Cup semi-finals FIFA announced today that this Friday May 28, there will be an extra 2000 tickets made available for the semi-final...
- Thousands of tickets still unsold for the World Cup The South African government had predicted four years ago that the 2010 World Cup would attract almost half a million...
- Free World Cup 2010 tickets to construction workers Free tickets have been given away by FIFA and World Cup organizers to all construction workers who contributed to building...
- World Cup 2010 ticket strategy a mistake FIFA officials have finally admitted that their ticket strategy for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa was probably a...