South Africa has sold half of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup tickets - about 320,000 of the almost 640,000 tickets.
This is good news, as South African Cup organizers recently complained about the sluggish ticket sales.
The Confederations Cup starts on June 14 at the Ellis Park stadium as hosts South Africa play Asian champions Iraq.
About 95 % of the tickets have been purchased by South Africans, according to the World Cup Organising Committee South Africa (OC).
“After opening the ticketing sales for the FIFA Confederations Cup to the corporate market two months ago, we are very pleased with the feedback of the local business community. We do hope, that with the opening of the ticketing centers we will now have a similar positive response of the general republic,” said FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke.
“From now on, with the launch of the ‘over the counter’ sales in ticketing centers, we are convinced it will be even easier for our football supporters to obtain tickets. By simplifying the process we are certain South Africans will now find it easier to purchase their tickets and we hope this will create the necessary demand to sell out all matches for the tournament,” said Danny Jordaan, CEO of the Organizing Committee.
MY POV: Fans can only hope South Africa puts on a decent tournament this summer. The Confederations Cup is usually a dry run of the real thing - the World Cup - which comes next summer.
Having ticketing centers is a wise move, as fans won't queue up at the stadium and cause havoc, as has been seen in other countries before.
The Organizing Committee seems pleased. All systems are go for this summer's tournament. Are they ready for the storm next year? Wait and see ...
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