Pasadena : Soccer-Ticket Sales Proceed

The City Council on Tuesday elected to complete the sale of almost 7,000 tickets to eight World Cup matches scheduled to be played in the Rose Bowl next summer, despite criticisms by some that the buyers could be scalpers.

Acting on the advice of attorney Carolyn H. Carlburg, who said the city’s offer last spring to sell the tickets to holders of Rose Bowl luxury suites, long-term business associates and city staff could constitute a contractual agreement, the council voted 4 to 2 to allow the ticket sales to proceed.

The tickets were part of a block of 9,000 offered at face value to the city by World Cup U.S.A. The sales were frozen last summer, after the buyers had made payments and received ticket vouchers from the city.

Councilmen Isaac Richard and Bill Crowfoot said the tickets could be more profitable for the city if they were used to raise money for human services programs. They suggested imposing a cap of 10 tickets per buyer, some of whom are now scheduled to receive as many as 40.

“I’m not comfortable that those tickets are going to be distributed within the community,” Crowfoot said.