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FIFA sell all 'blind' tickets for World Cup matches Every World Cup match at Germany next month has 10 tickets for blind supporters. Each ticket also means they can bring in a 'seeing' escort into the stadium for free. Headphones will also be made available so that the fans can hear the commentary in one ear and the stadium sounds in the other. The organising committee said English commentators would be available for all the English team's matches. Several Bundesliga teams have had groups of blind fans regularly in their stadiums, such as at Dortmund, Cologne and Hamburg, and said the practice had been successful, the organising committee said. Want a ticket to the World Cup in Germany ? The World Cup is sold out so where will you get tickets? You can now bid on tickets and fund life-saving research at the same time. If you win a ticket you'll also get put up in a 5-star hotel. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is auctioning four category 1 tickets to Round of 16 in Cologne, June 26, 2006 (Match 54 -- Winner Group G vs. Runner Up Group H) and four Category 1 tickets to Round of 16 in Dortmund, June 27, 2006 (Match 55 -- Winner Group F vs. Runner Up Group E). They're also two rooms for two nights (26-27 June) at the Excelsior Hotel Ernst in Cologne. If you want a chance to win these tickets, you have spare cash that you don't know what to do with then get along to the auction and bid. World Cup tickets will be like gold dust The organisers of next year's football World Cup in Germany yesterday identified ticket sales as their biggest problem, admitting that thousands of people would miss out on seats. The tournament will provide unprecedented publicity for CTS Eventim, the world's second-largest ticket supplier behind Ticketmaster of the US. But the most prestigious sporting event in Germany for 30 years comes with huge risks. "The demand for tickets will be far greater than the number available," said Franz Beckenbauer, the competition's chief organiser and a former World Cup winner as both player and manager for Germany. Ticket sales at the last World Cup in South Korea and Japan were mired in controversy as venues that had supposedly sold out appeared half empty, embarrassing both ticket provider Byrom of the UK and football's governing body, FIFA. CTS is expected to earn €30m ($39m, £21m) from World Cup ticket sales, with an estimated 20 per cent profit margin. Klaus-Peter Schulenberg, chief executive of CTS, said: "Our only worry is for internet traffic on February 1 [when ticket sales start] but everything is tested and ready." The Munich-based company has 15,000 servers ready to handle up to 10m orders a day, but there are only 2.9m tickets to be sold. The broader business community is also backing the World Cup and last week agreed with the German government to launch a €20m investment promotion campaign in the months before the competition. The campaign has been attacked by the conservative opposition as a vehicle to boost Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's re-election chances in September 2006, soon after the tournament. German companies are keen to be seen supporting the contest. According to one government estimate, the tournament could boost gross national product by €8bn between 2003 and 2010. Companies are sensitive about being linked to the government, which is unpopular because of its tough economic reforms, but are backing the provisional slogan for the campaign, "Germany, land of ideas" as suitably detached from political bias. Free World Cup Ticket for German Politicians A large number of German politicians will be given free tickets for the entire World Cup, it was revealed yesterday as criticism mounted of the way the tournament is being organized. Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel, her cabinet, and the president, Horst Köhler - have been invited to watch all 64 games, including England's three opening round matches. They will each be offered two free tickets for each match, officials said. Other beneficiaries include parliamentary party leaders, two constitutional judges, and Mrs Merkel's press secretary, Ulrich Wilhelm. Yesterday, however, Germany's interior ministry, which drew up the list, defended the freebies. "I can understand people's frustration. Seventy-nine sounds a lot," Christian Sachs, the ministry spokesman. "But given Germany's federal structure and the fact that there are 12 host cities this is really the minimal number of people we could identify to make sure the German government was properly represented. |
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