South Africans still chasing Cup tickets

South Africans who had given up on seeing a Soccer World Cup game because they had no tickets have been given another chance to buy cheap tickets.

With just four days to go until kick-off, about 1 000 South Africans queued up outside the Maponya Mall in Soweto on Monday, eagerly waiting to purchase additional category tickets for the World Cup.

“I’m looking for whatever I can get in category four, hopefully, and maybe category three, but I am not prepared to pay more than that, Famida Coovadia (45) told the Mail & Guardian as she queued outside the Fifa office at the mall.

Last-minute demand for Soccer World Cup tickets in South Africa resulted in about 15 000 “partially obstructed view” tickets (seats close to perimeter boards surrounding field may have some visibility obstructed) and 38 000 “premier” tickets going on sale.

The partially obstructed view tickets for seats located close to the pitch were sold at the price of category four tickets (R140), while the premier tickets, which include lounge seats and complimentary beverages, ranged from R1 400 to R2 100.

These new ticketing products don’t include the final, the semifinals, the opening game and the group matches of Bafana Bafana, and were only sold in South African rands.

Richard Lalla, manager of the Fifa ticketing centre at the Maponya Mall, said they would be selling tickets until 6pm, “but if more people come we will try and assist”.

Lalla said Fifa announced over the weekend that these additional ticketing options would go on sale, but could not say if more of such tickets would be made available.

According to Horst Schmidt, chairperson of the Fifa ticketing subcommittee: ‘It makes perfect sense to create those two additional ticketing products, as we have similarly done for previous Fifa World Cups.”

‘The system kept logging me out’
Shameela Mustapha (33) from Lenasia said she would take any good game she could get.

“I did buy tickets previously over the internet. I applied but didn’t get all of them, so now I am trying to get more,” she said.

Mustapha said the lottery ticket system didn’t work well.

Talitha van Wyk (21) agreed.

“I tried to book so many times online but the system kept logging me out,” she said.

Qhuwe Mhlongo (37) said she was also prepared to buy any ticket at this point, “as long as I am there it doesn’t matter if it’s in Durban or Polokwane”.

Mhlongo said she was also frustrated with previous ticket sales.

“I have queued at three banks but the systems crashed so tickets were not available.”

Mhlongo said she would make her way to Loftus Versfeld in Tshwane on Tuesday in case more tickets were made available.