February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Approximately 812,000 tickets, ranging in price from $45.80 to $600 each, will be available via lottery from the tournament’s web site, www.FIFAworldcup.com, organizers announced in Hamburg last week.
A draw will be held on Apr. 15 to determine the successful applicants, with any unsold seats going back on sale on a “first come, first serve” basis from May 1 to November 15.
This will be followed by a second lottery of 300,000 tickets from December 1, 2005 to January 15, 2006, whose leftovers — if any — will be made available to fans from Feb. 1 to Apr. 15.
In all, just one third of the total 2.93 million tickets for the 32-nation championship next year will be available to soccer fans. The rest will go to national associations, tournament sponsors, the media, VIPs and the “German Football Family.”
In addition, participating nations will get eight percent of the tickets for each of their matches in the tournament.
“We are going to have some disappointed people,” organizing committee president Franz Beckenbauer said in Frankfurt on Monday. “There’s no way of avoiding that.”
To alleviate the frustration of fans, organizers claim to have made it easier for the public to see games by making available some 260,000 “low category” tickets starting at $45.80 for first round matches.
The catch is that fans can only apply for up to two of these cheap seats per household for up to three matches total.
There is limitation of four tickets per fan for up to seven games for premium category tickets, priced from $58.83 and going up to $600.
For fans wanting to follow one team throughout the competition, they can do so by applying for team-specific tickets during the sales window opening next week. Should their team be eliminated at any stage prior to the final, refunds will be provided for remaining tickets.
FIFA has gone high tech with its tickets. According to its web site, admission to all matches at Germany ’06 will be controlled electronically at the turnstiles using microchip technology built into each ticket.
In yet another World Cup first, tickets will be printed bearing the name of the purchaser.
Germany ’06, whose qualifying competition is at the halfway stage worldwide, kicks off in Munich on June 9, and ends with the championship match in Berlin on July 9.
Ireland is in a strong position to reach the finals. The team are joint top in Group 4, level on eight points with France and Israel, albeit with a superior goal difference than the other two.
The Republic’s next qualifier is away at Israel in Tel Aviv on March 26.
In Group 6, Northern Ireland (0-3-1, 3), are in fourth place — seven points adrift of leaders England — after three draws in four qualifiers. The North are long shots for second place, which would earn them a playoff berth.
SANCHEZ EXTENSION
Lawrie Sanchez, who gave Northern Ireland a slight lift after replacing Sammy McIlroy as coach one year ago, has agreed to a contract extension. His current deal expires at the end of the World Cup qualifiers this fall.
Sanchez said last week that he’d met with Irish FA chief executive Howard Wells and was ready to sign a two-year extension.
“I am very happy and want to continue in this job,” he told the Belfast Telegraph.
The North are 3-2-5 (win, loss, draw) under Sanchez and have only failed to score twice during his 12 months in charge. This is a remarkable improvement on the 13-game goalless drought and 15-match winless streak the team went through before his appointment.
Sanchez also spoke of leading Northern Ireland to the 2008 European Championship even as they struggle in their World Cup qualifying group.
“We aren’t out of contention but it is going to be extremely difficult now,” he said.
“However if we continue to improve I feel we will have a better chance to give qualifying a real go in the European Championships.”