FIFA defends World Cup ticketing plan

FIFA CLAIM its ticketing policy is the right one, insisting that sales or distribution of tickets should “never” be done at a stadium on a matchday to avoid scenes like the one at the Makhulong Stadium on Sunday.

Sixteen people, including two police officers, were injured when a stampede occurred at the Johannesburg ground where fans were trying to get in to watch Nigeria take on North Korea in a pre-World Cup friendly – a match where the 10,000 tickets were free.

The incident happened just days before the start of the global spectacle, set to kick off when hosts South Africa face Mexico at Soccer City on Friday.

The world governing body has often been criticised in the build-up to the tournament for not making tickets more easily accessible for locals, most of whom live in poverty and do not have the luxury of the internet –FIFA’s preferred method of selling tickets.

Secretary general Jerome Valcke said that the happenings in Tembisa township, east of the city, proved that the organisation had the correct policy.

He said: “We have been criticised very often for not distributing tickets on the matchday at the stadium.

“What happened there when there was distribution of tickets on the matchday proves we are right to say that you should never distribute tickets at the stadium on the matchday.”

Valcke also assured sceptics that such an incident will not occur at a FIFA-run game.

He said: “In terms of organisation, please be sure that the level of organisation we have when we organise a game is definitely higher than the one we have seen here.”

FIFA president Sepp Blatter also insisted there was not much his organisation could have done about Sunday, moving quickly to promise fans of a safe World Cup.

“This will not happen in any match of the World Cup, of that you can be assured,” he said.

“We are organisers of a competition and being the organisers of a competition, we have to take the adequate steps for security.

“But in no way does the football organisation, being local, regional, national or international, have any police force or military force to intervene in security.

“This is always the matter of the state where the sport event is played.

“But football has to take the steps to make sure that these organisations are involved to ensure the minimum of security for any competition.

“This is a principle we have to repeat, that FIFA has no police force.

“They cannot even take out a spectator from a stadium, it’s not possible,” he added.