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Remember the outpouring of emotion the moment when Fifa President Sepp Blatter confirmed the World Cup would finally be hosted by South Africa? Scenes of millions of people celebrating the dawn of the 2010 era were flashed around the world. But now, with just three months remaining before the Confederations Cup and 16 months left until the World Cup kicks off, Fifa and the 2010 Local Organising Committee (LOC) are concerned by the pace of ticket sales. So far, only 170 000 tickets out of 640 000 have been sold for the Festival of Champions.

LOC chairperson Irvin Khoza says international sales are three times higher than in South Africa. LOC chief executive Danny Jordaan notes that there has been more enthusiasm from countries like Australia and Canada than from South Africa. The problem is that while the World Cup promotes itself, Fifa and the LOC are counting on South Africans to fill the stadiums for the Confederations Cup. After all, empty stadiums for this key 2010 curtain-raiser will send the wrong message to the hundreds of thousands of fanatics who are weighing up whether to spend a small fortune on visiting a long-haul destination for the World Cup.

For too long, local fans have either been content to watch their football on television while those who make the effort, purchase their tickets at the last minute. That has to change. The international spotlight is steadily moving towards South Africa as the quadrennial showpiece of international football nears.

It is time for all of South Africa to embrace this opportunity and to celebrate the spectacular improvement in the domestic league as well as the real progress that Bafana Bafana are showing under Joel Santana. We owe it to ourselves to fill our stadiums for the Confederations Cup — there can be no better advertisement for 2010.




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4 Responses to “Why South Africans need to come to the party”

I know south africans will step their ticket purchase record before the confedaration cup. If they dont, i’ll make an informal plea to blatter to sale those tickets to East Africans, We’ll be there, and trust me, full house!!Coz its me bringing them.

(Report abuse)

Ongacho on March 5th, 2009 at 6:33 pm

Why should south africans change to do what fifa want ? the ticket sales should be catered to make us souith africans happy and secure (ticket in hand)

(Report abuse)

Mark on March 6th, 2009 at 8:06 pm

Craig - Selling the tickets online and through FNB is highly discriminatory - hence the 170K sales over 640K available.
The LOC has no time to lose, not even a week and has to open up the sales channels and make tickets available through Pick ‘n Pay, Checkers & Spar and advertise this through the national press.
The Confederation Cup was always intended to be the dipstick for the 2010 World Cup.
The 2010 LOC cannot afford to have empty seats for the 2009 Confederation Cup.
Remember the Japanese/Korean World Cup? The Japanese implemented a unique local support for international teams.
2010 will be measured on the 009 Confed Cup.
Time to also consider block bookings for local companies to buy for their staff and not to b too restrictive on this.
A full stadium is better than an empty shell.

(Report abuse)

Tony McKeever on March 7th, 2009 at 11:21 am

Someone tell me what the average size of a family is in SA - I’m pretty sure it’s not 4. So that’s why I haven’t put in a bid for any tickets. Should I let the boys sit by themselves across the other end of the stadium or the girls? Or perhaps I shouldn’t bother with tickets for the girls? Perhaps FIFA would sort that issue out for me if I bid for two blocks and only get one anyway. Or perhaps I shouldn’t go at all and let the kids go by themselves and the older ones can mind the younger ones?

Plus after hearing someone asking an amusing question on the radio ‘what if I get tickets for the boyfriend and myself and we break up?’, the answer was less than inspiring…

I’m pretty sure that either there will be empty seats galore for some games or Fifa will have to open up last minute bookings sans some of these rules. Either that or give them away in blocks to local schools. Although as I remember, the local schools will probably be closed for weeks and weeks so not sure if they’ll manage to get hold of all the kids to come in anyway.

Whining aside, I do agree with Mark though. For me it’s much like similar issues around guesthouses and Match and vendors around the stadia. If things aren’t going to be done to ensure that there is maximum impact for local people, I’m not sure what we were all excited about? Perhaps there will be more enthusiasm as it gets nearer the time. I certainly hope so. There will be much disappointment though as well; one only hopes that the benefits outweigh that.

(Report abuse)

Kit on March 15th, 2009 at 10:42 pm

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Craig Urquhart is a former Fifa World Cup media officer. He runs Project2010, a 24/7 news portal of South Africa's preparations for the 2010 World Cup. 
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