The sight of unoccupied seats at supposedly soldout World Cup matches continues to be an embarrassment to FIFA and an irritant to fans who hoped to attend the games.
Fans had to standin the rain and cold to watch the Portugal-Ivory Coast game on a big screen at a fan festival in Port Elizabeth after they were unable to buy tickets for Tuesday’s Group G match. Needless to say, theywere livid when they saw empty seats at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
“I was so surprised to see empty seats at the stadium because I’ve been hustling for tickets since forever,” saidPortugal fan Tia Estefan, who hoped to buy tickets for herself and six friends.