If you haven’t heard already, tickets for the 2010 FIFA World Cup are not going as well as planned, particularly with the overseas fans. FIFA has blasted England, and to some extent Germany, for putting fans off of travelling to South Africa.
I think FIFA has got it wrong (yet again), because England or Germany have not fostered a negative image of South Africa because the preconception about the security fears in South Africa were already there. Lets face it, people had or have a dodgy view of South Africa before the World Cup was even awarded and it might still be there after the World Cup.
South Africa is a beautiful country, no doubt. Most of us have seen the cricket, rugby and a little bit of football being played there and it looks beautiful, the people seem nice but we also know that the night-crimes are ridiculously high. People who have lived there, say that South Africa is a beautiful place and all but go to the wrong place and you will be in deep trouble. Then again, it is the case almost everywhere.
The second biggest reason in putting people off could be the traveling expenses. Cape Town is around 870 miles from Johannesburg and another 365 miles for Durban, plus around £2,000 for the tickets. But incidentally, England are the second highest contributor to ticket sales from overseas; second only to United States surprisingly.
For more on the topic, listen to the Episode 38 of the Soccerlens Podcast. You can also subscribe via iTunes or subscribe to Soccerlens Podcast feed.
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