20.05.2010
FIFA wants to charter 200 buses to fill small World Cup stadiums
FIFA plans to charter 200 buses to ferry South African fans to remote stadiums that could be half-empty during the World Cup, the football governing body's secretary general Jerome Valcke said Thursday.
"Three cities are still facing some issues" three weeks before the kick-off, namely Polokwane, Nelspruit and Port Elizabeth, Valcke told foreign media in Johannesburg.
He plans to travel to the three cities next week to discuss with local officials on finding ways to fill stands.
"We are thinking about organizing 200 buses to move people from these provinces to the stadiums," he said.
FIFA could also extend discount ticket privileges, currently reserved for South Africans, to people from neighbouring countries, he added.
In an interview with South Africa's Sunday Times newspaper, Valcke raised the possibility of bringing in Mozambican and Zimbabwean fans to Nelspruit and Polokwane, which are relatively close to the border.
The charter buses could "take them to the border", he said.
FIFA has sold more than 90 percent of the tickets for Africa's first World Cup, mainly to local fans.
Stadiums in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban are sold out, but smaller stadiums located far from the main urban centres are struggling to fill the stands.
Source: © 2010 AFP - Stephane de Sakutin
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