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JUST more than 200000 Soccer World Cup tickets are still for sale but local organising committee CEO Danny Jordaan insisted yesterday that the tournament would be sold out by the time it gets under way on June 11.
More than 90% of the 2,88-million tickets that were available for the World Cup have been sold and Jordaan said he was confident that those remaining would all be snapped up.
“I have no doubt in my mind that all of the matches will be sold out,” Jordaan said yesterday at an event to mark 30 days to the World Cup.
“I am certain that this World Cup will be a sell-out and those remaining tickets will be bought.”
Fans can still purchase tickets to most of the matches and the only games that Fifa claims are “unavailable” are the opening encounter between Bafana Bafana and Mexico on June 11, the first-round clash between Brazil and Portugal, the two semifinals and the final on July 11.
Indications are that all the tickets would have been sold out a long time ago if notoriously inflexible football governing body Fifa had not dragged its feet over accepting advice to sell tickets over the counter.
Ticket sales were sluggish in the beginning of the year as fans complained that Fifa’s format of filling in application forms and submitting the completed documents to First National Bank branches was too complicated after years of being able to purchase tickets over-the-counter at Computicket.
Since many traditional soccer lovers have limited access to the internet, the alternative of applying online on the Fifa website was always going to be under-utilised.
Fifa only accepted advice last month when tickets finally became available over the counter for the first time on April 15.
The governing body was shocked when more than 50000 tickets were sold on the first day of the over-the counter sales, surpassing even Jordaan’s expectations.
More than 270000 tickets have been sold since April 15 and the organising committee announced yesterday that even nations that have not qualified for the World Cup have bought tickets.
Overall, host nation SA is leading the ticket sales, with about 1,18-million tickets purchased.
The hosts are followed by the US with about 130000, the UK with just more than 97000, Australia with 43000, Germany with 40000, Mexico with 36000, Japan with 22000, Brazil with 18000, Canada with 17000 and Switzerland with 16000.
Former Bafana coach Jomo Sono — who attended the event to mark 30 days to the World Cup — said Bafana coach Carlos Alberto Parreira had a huge advantage going into the tournament and would have no excuses for failure. “I see no reason why Bafana cannot go far in this tournament,” Sono said in his trademark forthright manner.
“Parreira has had more time with his players in camp than any other national soccer team coach ahead of a major tournament,” Sono said. “I was brought on board at the last minute after the coach at the time (Carlos Queiroz) left on the eve of the 2002 World Cup. So what reason would anyone have for failure?”
Sono had even less time when he was asked by the South African Football Association to lead Bafana to the 1998 African Nations Cup after Clive Barker was dismissed on the eve of the continental tournament.
The Jomo Cosmos coach had a little more than three weeks with Bafana, but managed to take the team to the final in Burkina Faso.
The Mexican ambassador to SA, Luis Cabrera, said he had a feeling that the encounter between his countrymen and Bafana would stutter to a draw as the nerves in the opening match were expected to be higher than anything both sides have ever experienced.
“There is no easy group and that is why I think that every country has a chance to win this World Cup,” Cabrera said.
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