World Cup organizer: Stampedes won't be an issue

JOHANNESBURG (AP) -The organizer of the World Cup in South Africa pledged Monday that the problems which too often lead to stadium stampedes on the continent will not be an issue during the 2010 tournament.

Danny Jordaan, speaking a day after a stampede at a World Cup qualifying match in Ivory Coast killed at least 19 people, said many African fans buy their tickets when they reach the stadium, and often arrive late. He said a typical scenario involved impatient crowds outside hearing a goal has been scored.

"It triggers a stampede that leads to disaster,'' Jordaan said. "Those things will not occur in the Confederations Cup or the World Cup. It is impossible.''

For the Confederations Cup later this year and the World Cup in 2010, tickets will have to be purchased well in advance. Those without tickets will be "stopped kilometers away,'' and fans will be urged to arrive early, Jordaan said.

"The organizing committee will be embarking on a major spectator educator campaign to ensure that fans coming to the FIFA Confederations Cup and FIFA World Cup get to the games early,'' Jordaan said. "The gates will open three hours before the matches kickoff and this is when fans will be expected to arrive.''

He said poor transportation in Africa makes it hard for fans to get to games on time, and that's another issue World Cup organizers are looking at. They were to sign an agreement later this week on bus service for games, he said. Details were not yet available.

In recent weeks, the drivers of the vans on which many South Africans rely for mass transportation went on strike, claiming that plans to improve public bus service in South Africa's population centers would destroy their livelihoods. The drivers have said they would try to disrupt the World Cup, but Jordaan dismissed such threats.

Another major concern for organizers, Jordaan said, was slow ticket sales so far to South Africans and other Africans. Jordaan said sales to the West were comparable to what they were at a similar stage before the World Cup in Germany, but more needed to be done to generate enthusiasm on the continent for the first World Cup in Africa.

Jordaan acknowledged, though, that economic factors weighed heavily. FIFA set a special ticket price for South African residents of $20, well below the top price of $900, but much more than South Africans are accustomed to spending for local matches.

South Africa already has an unemployment rate of about 25 percent, and the global recession was raising fears of more job losses.

Jordaan, who offered condolences to the families of those killed in Ivory Coast, said he was counting on South African businesses to buy tickets for their employees.

He also said the South African national team's relatively poor performance, and the fact that other African teams have yet to qualify, may be dampening sales.

"To get the enthusiasm up in the country ... is connected to the home team's performance,'' Jordaan said. "If the team performs well, it will be great for the World Cup.''