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South Africans get 120,000 free World Cup tickets
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-08-14 21:07

JOHANNESBURG: Organizers are giving South Africans 120,000 free tickets to next year's World Cup in an effort to make the tournament more accessible to citizens living in poverty.

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The tickets will be given to poor fans working in health care, education and other development fields.

FIFA has already set low ticket prices South African residents, starting at 140 rand (about $17), compared to $80 for international tickets. But with more than a quarter of the work force unemployed, and many of those who do have jobs earning $10 a day or less, even cheap seats are out of reach.

FIFA says its 2010 World Cup Ticket Fund is the first of its kind in the 80 years of the tournament.