China

Ticket Bonanza for chinese

By Tang Yue (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-12-09 07:59

Soccer City, also known as the FNB Stadium, is seen in front of the Johannesburg skyline. The stadium is earmarked to host the opening and final matches of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Reuters

Though China's national team failed to qualify for 2010 World Cup finals, fans have still been blessed with top-class tickets for the grand soccer gala in South Africa next summer, according to local ticket agents.

Ticket Bonanza for chinese

Apart from supporters applying for the tickets on FIFA's official website, China's authorized agents have already booked more than 1,500 tickets. They include 700 VIP seats for all 23 matches in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban - including the final, and 800 tickets for matches involving soccer heavyweights such as Italy, Germany, Spain and Argentina. They are planning to apply for more to meet growing demand.

"They (fans) have kept calling after Friday's draw. We talked to FIFA and it has promised to allocate (China) more VIP tickets in those three stadiums as well as in other cities," said Feng Tao, general director of Hejun Sports Management, the exclusive agent for VIP tickets in the mainland.

Feng said he expected about 30 Chinese, on average, to appear in the box seats or top-class seats for each game held in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban

"Chinese fans are not used to booking tickets in advance but we have confidence in the market," Feng told China Daily yesterday.

Those fans searching for cheaper tickets can go for the 800 on sale for group and elimination games. Those games will not only involve soccer mega-sides such as defending champions Italy, three-time winners Germany, two-time winners Argentina, FIFA's No 1-ranked team Spain and two-time finalists the Netherlands but also China's neighbors - the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan, according to Wang Kuang, the program manager for World Cup tickets at China Sports Event Management Group (CSEMG), another ticket agent.

Wang said his company would also apply for more tickets involving teams such as Brazil and England.

"Actually, we have been allocated 4,000 tickets by FIFA. For the rest of the quota we are going to apply for tickets for Brazil and England as they have a lot of supporters here," Wang said. "A lot of fans have called to ask if we have tickets for any of Brazil's matches and say they are willing to buy them no matter what the price.

"As a country which does not have its own team at the finals, it is already a big quota we have been alloted. I am sure China's growing market has not escaped FIFA's notice. "

CSEMG says one or more tickets will be included in an eight-day travel package.

The price for the trip with one group match ticket is expected to be about 40,000 yuan ($5,800) while a package including tickets to the Cup final on July 11 costs 56,000 yuan ($8,100).

Only a few hundred Chinese fans went to Germany in 2006 to watch those World Cup finals while more than 10,000 fans went to the ROK and Japan finals in 2002 to witness China's only appearance at the Cup.