Published by the government of Zimbabwe
8 July 2009
Harare — ZIFA want to establish a centralised national purchasing pool for tickets for the 2010 World Cup soccer showcase in South Africa.
The football mother body yesterday invited companies and individuals to submit their 2010 World Cup ticket requirements to the association.
"ZIFA is carrying out a survey on the ticket category requirements for individuals and corporate organisations for the 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa in order to purchase the tickets before the end of the year," read a statement released by asociation chief executive Henrietta Rushwaya.
"To enable us to plan ahead, we take this opportunity to invite all interested corporates and individuals to submit their ticket requirements to the Zimbabwe Football Association marketing department by no later than July 31 2009.
"For further information regarding the 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa tickets, please contact the Zifa marketing department."
Zifa are trying to minimise the chances of a recurrence of the problems that plagued the trip by a group of Zimbabwean fans who travelled to South Africa for the Confederations Cup final.
Most of the fans did not watch the final between Brazil and the United States after complications arose on the availability of the tickets for the big match.
The face value of the remaining tickets for the final had skyrocketed last week, with some selling for R1 400.
By the time the Zimbabwean supporters arrived in Johannesburg, on the eve of the final, there were virtually no tickets available for the game.
The fans' predicament was worsened by the decision by the Local Organising Committee to give hundreds of extra tickets to their corporate partners after Fifa president Sepp Blatter had complained about poor attendance at some of the first group games.
Some Zimbabwean fans ended up being diverted to watch the third-place play-off between Bafana Bafana and Spain at the Royal Bafokeng Palace in Rustenberg.
Spain won the thriller 3-2 in injury time.
Only a few local fans, including those who had paid the full package of US$450, managed to watch the final at Ellis Park which Brazil won 3-2.
There have been allegations from some fans that they were ripped off, in a calculated scam.
However, virtually all the supporters have been refunded part of what they had paid towards the trip, especially the ticket component.
ZNSSA leader Eddie "Mboma" Nyatanga issued an apology to all the fans who were caught up in the challenges that faced the trip and said the tour fell victim to the haphazard planning that came with doing everything in the week leading to the final.
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