FIFA have provided a remarkable and bizarre excuse for the embarrassing number of empty seats captured by TV cameras at the World Cup.
Viewers of South Korea’s 2-1 win over Czechia were quick to point out that there were large portions of the stadium without fans.
In spite of the apparent reduced attendance, FIFA announced an official attendance of 44,985 at the game, which is only 679 below full capacity at Estadio Chivas.
And they released a statement in response to the widespread criticism over empty seats, which comes after uproar at the exorbitant cost of tickets pricing out plenty of supporters.
They claim that fans at the match were choosing to watch from the concourses rather than take the seats they’d paid for.
The governing body said: ‘Official attendance figures reflect the number of tickets scanned and spectators present within the stadium footprint, rather than visual assessments of seating occupancy at any given moment during the match.
South Korea and Czechia played the World Cup’s second match in front of many empty seats and FIFA provided a bizarre excuse
‘FIFA works closely with stadium authorities and ticketing teams to ensure all published figures are based on verified operational data.
‘Please note that, during the match in Guadalajara, several ticketed fans could be seen standing in concourses rather than staying in their assigned seats throughout the match.’
Thousands of tickets for the tournament remain unsold and some games have been put up for re-sale well below face value.
The opening match between Mexico and South Africa involved one of the host nations at Azteca stadium in front of 83,000 fans.
But there were empty seats visible for the South Korea game and then parts of Canada’s 1-1 draw with Bosnia & Herzegovina.
FIFA have come in for enormous criticism at the pricing of tickets and hundreds are still available for England’s World Cup opener against Croatia on Wednesday.
The lowest price for a ticket is $867 (£648), with fans able to go all the way up to $9,225 (£6,900) for a ticket and meal package that has access to a VIP lounge.
Meanwhile, hospitality tickets on the FIFA website range from $2,430 (£1,811) to $3,150 (£2,347).
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has fought back at criticism over the price of tickets
The $2,430 ticket comes in the ‘Champions Club’ and it is described as: ‘Featuring Preferred Seating view seats located just steps from exclusive, vibrant hospitality spaces that offer premium beverage service and full-course dining, available pre and post-match.’
On another resale website, tickets for England’s second group game against Ghana in Boston range from £423 all the way to £4,354.
Speaking ahead of the tournament at a press conference, FIFA president Gianni Infantino insisted the average price of tickets was below $500, and defended his organisation by saying the cost was comparable to what it was to attend big matches in US sports.
He added: ‘If you sell it at a lower price point, in this particular market it would have gone – which is perfectly legal in this country… in secondary markets at much, much, much higher prices and where would the money go then?
‘Well, to those who organise secondary markets or black market activities and not to football.
‘If we are doing something wrong, then probably everyone selling tickets in North America is doing something wrong, as well.’
But it seems now that the high prices will make for reduced attendances and therefore a less compelling spectacle, picked up by those watching on TV.
The row over pricing and empty seats is set to rumble on and FIFA are facing a PR disaster already despite claims of 500 million booking requests prior to the World Cup kicking off.
