Soccer: Fifa president criticises World Cup organisers over tickets

BERLIN - Fifa president Sepp Blatter has criticised Germany's World Cup organisers for using a confusing ticketing system, saying world soccer's governing body would take over sales in 2010.

In an interview with the Neue Zuericher Zeitung newspaper published in Zurich, he said the German Football Federation (DFB) had opted for a sales system based on a series of lotteries because demand far outstripped supply.

"The Germans picked a system I can't understand at all," said Blatter.

"I don't know how many meetings we've had about that.

"We simply aren't making any progress with the DFB. It would probably have been better if we had taken over the ticketing ourselves.

"I had my reservations about it from the start but in the end I'll be blamed for everything. In South Africa in 2010 we will take over control of the ticketing again."

Organising committee leaders rejected Blatter's criticism.

They said there had been ticketing problems at the last World Cup in Japan and South Korea in 2002, adding the German system was more transparent and understandable.

"These comments leave me speechless," said organising committee vice-president Horst R Schmidt.

"Everything has been done in conjunction with Fifa's official policies."

Wolfgang Niersbach, another organising committee vice-president, said Blatter's comments were difficult to fathom.

"The entire ticket sales operation has been carried out without problems, has been transparent and easy to understand."

Blatter also warned organisers against complacency and said they had a lot of hard work ahead to stage a successful World Cup as expectations were high.

"They have to prove the World Cup is as good as the expectations of it are," he said.

"I've been a bit cautious about making any exaggerated predictions about it."

Organisers have said ticketing remains their biggest worry with orders running at 100,000 a day and little prospect of returns to ease the shortage.

Only the person named on each ticket will be allowed access to the stadiums and organisers have warned that spot checks on identity will be carried out as fans make their way to the matches.

The World Cup starts on June 9.

- REUTERS