Fifa has defended its attendance figures at South Korea’s opening-day win against Czech Republic at the World Cup by insisting that some fans “stood in concourses rather than in their assigned seat.”
There were thousands of empty seats, in just the second match of the tournament, to further raise questions surrounding Fifa’s ticket prices for the world spectacle. South Korea defeated Czech Republic 2-1, in a gripping Group A contest in Guadalajara.
But amid controversy surrounding the ticket prices at the World Cup, with Fifa president Gianni Infantino defending the dynamic pricing policy at his press conference on the eve of the tournament, thousands of empty red seats could be seen throughout the contest at the Estadio Akron.
On Friday, a Fifa spokesperson said in response: “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. FIFA works closely with stadium authorities and ticketing teams to ensure all published figures are based on verified operational data.
“Please note that, during last night’s match in Guadalajara, several ticketed fans could be seen standing in concourses rather than staying in their assigned seats throughout the match.”
Fifa opted to cut prices for some of its 104 matches in recent weeks, but a reported 180,000 tickets remained listed across Fifa’s official resale portals ahead of the tournament.
The pricing policy has seen the cheapest standard ticket to the final reach a reported $5,785, with some tickets reaching five figures.
The issue has clouded the build-up to the tournament, with Fifa even claiming to have received over 500 million booking requests.
Infantino’s defence surrounding the ticket prices centred on his belief that the Fifa World Cup was a bigger event than the NBA Finals, which has seen exorbitant prices for the Knicks v Spurs series.
Politicians in New York and New Jersey have launched a formal investigation after allegations fans were left confused by Fifa over the inflated prices of tickets.
Complaints focus on a lack of clarity over waiting times in online queues and the eventual prices should fans succeed.
Despite the match failing to reach a full capacity, the atmosphere remained lively with South Korea and Czech Republic fans heard throughout the contest. Ladislav Krejci had put Czech Republic in front before Hwang In Beom’s equaliser, and Oh Hyeon Gyu’s winner.
