Headline PH: Big demand for World Cup tickets with 2 weeks left

JOHANNESBURG – The man in the yellow and green uniform raised his arms in jubilation, as if he had just scored a goal for his beloved South African national team.

"We are now finished! We got our tickets! Everything is sorted out," exulted Aden Lahood, displaying his prized purchase of World Cup tournament seats.

He was one of about 700 people who had mobbed a building in suburban Johannesburg during a frustrating, chaotic day of long lines and computer crashes Friday as a total of 160,000 tickets — including those for the semifinal and final games — went on sale in South Africa two weeks before the start of the World Cup.

For thousands of South Africans, the wait has been long but worth it.

Despite the computer glitches and some marketing flaws, World Cup organizers are likely to sell almost all the tickets for the tournament — thanks in large part to local fans.

FIFA, the World Cup's governing body, said there was a "massive response" from buyers, and by 5 p.m. Friday, nearly 60,000 tickets had been sold. Seats were no longer available for several matches, including all three of the preliminary round games involving South Africa's team and the July 11 final.

Thousands of people had spent a night in line — some were queued up since Wednesday — in ticket centers in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Soweto.

In the upscale northern Johannesburg suburb of Sandton, there was pushing and shoving in the line, and police tried to keep order. One official got on a bullhorn and threatened to keep the ticket center closed unless people maintained order in the line that stretched 40-50 yards (meters) down the sidewalk.

FIFA officials added to the frustration when they announced to the crowd that the computer system had crashed.

"Apparently, everyone is logging on at the same time. It must be an international thing, worldwide," Lahood said. "But we've been through it, it's done now, everything is sorted, I'm happy."

FIFA issued a statement confirming "significant delays" and apologized to fans for the "regrettable situation."

By GERALD IMRAY,
AP Sports Writer

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