FIFA defend empty seats

Rio de Janeiro - FIFA says no-show fans explain why just one of the first 14 World Cup matches played to a full stadium.

Only Argentina's 2-1 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina had 100 percent attendance, with 74,738 spectators at Maracana Stadium on Sunday.

Brazil's opening win against Croatia had 436 no-shows in Itaquerao Stadium, Sao Paulo. It was 99.3 percent full.

Television pictures show patches of empty lower-tier seats at most matches.

The best match had the highest rate of unclaimed seats: A 92.8 percent turnout for the Netherlands beating Spain 5-1 in Salvador on Friday.

FIFA spokeswoman Delia Fischer says fans are not offering tickets for sale through FIFA's website.

Fischer says "most are uncollected tickets because people who have not been coming to the match have not put them on the resale platform."