Tournament News
SA aims for 60% ticket sales
2009-02-18 19:13
Email | Print
Johannesburg - While Fifa's proclaimed objective is to sell all the estimated 3 701 741 seats for the 2010 World Cup, Local Organising Committee CEO Danny Jordaan on Wednesday announced the South African hosts had budgeted for a 60 percent ticket sales.
This was revealed at a media briefing at Johannesburg's Sandton Convention Centre that was designed to launch Friday's world-wide ticket application process.
"We are operating on a modest proviso of 60 percent ticket sales," said Jordaan, "which will see us through nicely.
"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 - as much for the world-wide financial recession as the fact that 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 the Fifa ticketing sub-committee and honorary Fifa vice-president.
"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."
An awesome 20-million applications were received for the ticket sell-out in 2006, but having the venue in Europe automatically ensured huge numbers travelling from neighbouring countries to Germany.
The gruesome crime rate in South Africa, the longer distances to travel and lingering doubts over the ability of South Africa to stage the World Cup without hitches have resulted in more cautious estimates of the number of eventual ticket sales.
And South Africa will rely heavily on ticket sales for a successful World Cup from a financial aspect, with revenue from advertising, sponsorship and TV rights mainly swallowed up in Fifa's coffers.