Fifa 'optimistic' on 2010 ticket sales
Fri, 20 Feb 2009
South Africa has budgeted for a 60% sale of 2010 Fifa World Cup tickets, Local Organising Committee (LOC) chief executive Danny Jordaan said on Wednesday.
"We are operating on a modest proviso of 60 percent ticket sales," said Jordaan, "which will see us through nicely."
Jordaan was speaking at a media briefing in Johannesburg ahead of Friday's launch of a worldwide ticket application process.
"Naturally," he added, "we remain optimistic and are looking at a much larger number of sales, which would see us with a substantial profit."
Generally, however, the mood among Fifa officials and the LOC suggested a degree of uncertainty and caution as to the overall ticket sales - in part because of the worldwide recession, in part because this will be the first World Cup to be staged in Africa.
"I would be naive to suggest there will be no backlash as a result of the financial crisis that has spread round the globe," said David Will, chairman of Fifa's ticketing sub-committee.
"But soccer fans are a funny breed, who will go to South Africa come hell or high water if their own country qualifies for the World Cup - and we'll need to wait until the final 32 qualifiers are known before gaining a more accurate assessment," he said.
Sapa
