Corporate and Government ticket holders and Overseas fans who have stayed away have been blamed for continued poor attendances in South Africa for The World Cup despite having tickets.

Empty seats have become a common sight for those attending games in South Africa, although television pictures do not always revealed the extent of the problem. Fifa have said that no-shows from corporate and overseas supporters were largely to blame, though they then admit they are happy with the average attendances, which are marginally higher than at the same stage of the last World Cup in Germany.

Just four of the 11 matches played so far have been declared sell-outs, although people have cast doubt on Fifa’s official figures. The opening game at Soccer City was declared a sell-out despite empty seats being visible. The match between Holland and Denmark at the same stadium was given the attendence 1,025 below the capacity, despite almost all executive boxes in the stadium being empty. The affluent white community here does not have a mature football culture, they are more Rugby and Cricket and even at an entry-level price of R140 (£12.40) tickets are beyond the reach of many in the black community.

In an attempt to ensure full stadiums, organisers gave large numbers of tickets to local companies and state agencies, but they have failed to pass them on. This is something that we have seen has one of the overiding problems that would arise from this World Cup and it is now coming home to roost.