World Cup: FIFA looking into empty seats at opener

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

FIFA, soccer’s global governing body and the organizers of the World Cup, told the Associated Press it is investigating why a section of seats at Soccer City Stadium was unoccupied during Friday’s World Cup opener between South Africa and Mexico. The upper-tier section of around 200 seats was filled by tournament volunteers later in the match, which ended in a 1-1 tie. FIFA said 84,490 people attended the match at Soccer City, a record for one of its matches in Africa. Saturday’s matches between England and the United States at the 45,000-seat Royal Bafokeng stadium in Rustenburg and between Argentina and Nigeria at 62,500-seat Ellis Park in Johannesburg were sold out, FIFA said. But just two-thirds of the 46,000 seats at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth were filled for South Korea’s 2-0 win over Greece. -- Kevin Baxter in Rustenburg, South Africa