Ticket Demand for World Cup Dwarfs Supply : Soccer: Officials have public relations problem when insiders’ requests for games in 1994 cannot be filled.
World Cup officials admitted Wednesday that the unexpected demand for World Cup tickets--and the organizers’ inability to satisfy requests--had created an embarrassing situation, but they said it’s a problem they are glad to have.
“We have a public relations problem,” said Alan Rothenberg, chief executive officer of World Cup ’94. “Many members of the U.S. soccer community were shut out. They are understandably upset. It’s a problem that we obviously feel bad about. But, if I have to have one problem with the World Cup, this would be it.”
Rothenberg spoke Wednesday to a group of European and South American journalists who have been touring World Cup venues. His comments came during a wide-ranging session between journalists and World Cup and U.S. Soccer Federation officials at a Santa Monica hotel.
Rothenberg explained the ticket sales program, and outlined the planned sales to Europe. The first phase of World Cup ticket sales is over, and Rothenberg said that World Cup officials were overwhelmed by the response to the sale to soccer insiders. Although 450,000 first- and second-round tickets were set aside for the private sale, Rothenberg said about 650,000 were sold.
Rothenberg said there may be only about 600,000 tickets available for the public sale, which will be conducted by telephone only beginning next month.
Overseas ticket sales will begin in the fall, utilizing a new program called the Team Series. The program will allow German fans, for example, to buy tickets for only those games involving Germany.
European journalists, in particular, asked questions about security plans, suggesting there is some skepticism about the United States’ ability to deal with hooliganism.
Rothenberg and Ed Best, the World Cup director of security, headed a delegation that spent more than a week in England to observe security measures at last week’s World Cup qualifying match between England and the Netherlands, teams with historic hooligan problems.
Rothenberg said that World Cup officials are considering using the English model for segregating rival fan groups through ticket sales. He said a decision had yet to be made on the use of fencing to separate fans within the stadiums.
Sunil Gulati, World Cup’s chief international officer, provided sketchy details about an international tournament to be held in the Los Angeles area late in the year.
Gulati said the teams probably will be the United States, Mexico, Italy and the Netherlands, and it probably will be played at East Los Angeles College during the New Year’s Day weekend, if scheduling permits.
The Coliseum, Anaheim Stadium and the Rose Bowl also were considered, he said, but scheduling conflicts could not be resolved.
