SOCCER WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING GROUP EIGHT: That tickets are still available a matter of days before the world champions come to town is a serious indictment of FAI policy, writes NOEL O'REILLY
THE FAI’S decision to bundle tickets for the Republic of Ireland’s final two World Cup qualifiers was always going to prove unpopular and, with a “limited” number of seats still available, it appears fans could be voting with their feet.
An FAI spokesman was unable to reveal just how “limited” the tranche of unsold tickets was when contacted during the week, commenting there were “not that many” left, and the association are confident of attracting a crowd of between 70,000 and 72,000.
Nevertheless, that tickets were available at all a matter of days before the world champions come to town at this crucial stage of the qualifying campaign is a serious indictment of the FAI’s policy to charge for both games as an overall package.
The association announced in June that supporters going to the Italy game would be obliged to also stump up for Montenegro’s visit just four days later. And with money tight in a worsening economy, the pricing structure was always going to hit fans where it hurts.
Irish supporters have been charged a combined €100, €140 or €170 per person (plus booking fee), whether they have the time or, indeed, the inclination to attend the second game.
Once again, there were no discounts for children, meaning a family of four hoping to take in one (or both) of the games will be out of pocket by at least €400.
While Irish sports fans appear to be getting a raw deal, a quick scan across the Continent shows that our European friends seem to be getting more bang for their buck.
While venues such as the Stade de France and Hamburg’s Nordbank Arena are charging €80 for their top-priced seats, both have availability way below the FAI’s lowest asking price of €50, even before you consider that Irish fans have no option but to effectively pay that amount twice.
Unlike Irish supporters, Danish supporters haven’t been able to get their hands on tickets for Saturday’s Group One match against Sweden since the start of June. All 34,000 seats at the Parken Stadium were snapped up within 45 minutes of going on sale for the clash of the fierce Scandinavian rivals.
With Denmark sitting on top of the group and Sweden just three points adrift in second, surely a spot of price gouging was in order? But apparently that’s not how they do things in Copenhagen.
Despite the limited capacity, tickets ranged from a modest 210 Kroner (€28) to 475 Kroner (€63) for the most expensive seat in the house. Although there was no compulsion to purchase a seat for Wednesday’s home clash with Hungary at those prices, fans lucky enough to double up probably did.
And what of Saturday’s opponents? Conceivably, Italy could go into next week’s final qualifier with Cyprus needing a result to keep Ireland away from top spot. With so much potentially riding on the match, the Italian FA saw fit to charge a mere tenner for the cheapest ticket. Again, €60 is the most expensive available, while seats for children under 16 are heavily discounted (half-price or less).
Even our neighbours across the water, not exactly shy when it comes to digging deep into fans’ pockets, have prices that seem bargain basement compared to what is being demanded at Croke Park. When England’s finest take on Belarus in Group Six next Wednesday, kids will be allowed into the magnificent new Wembley for £14.50 (€15.60), with adult seats between £29 (€31) and £58.50 (€63).
In Group Five, Belgium’s meeting with Turkey doesn’t have an awful lot riding on it for the home side, but with prices starting at €20 (rising to a top price of €60) it’s unlikely the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels will be a ghost venue.
Even if Slovakia did not stand on the brink of qualifying for a first major tournament, their match against near-neighbours Slovenia in Group Three was guaranteed to be a sell-out.
As it transpired, the Slovakian FA received over 160,000 applications for the 23,000 seats at Bratislava’s Tehelne Pole Stadium and sold out in just four minutes. The three categories of tickets ranged from €10 to €35, depending on whether the stand was exposed to the elements or not.
Finally, France may have all but kissed goodbye to automatic qualification from Group Seven, where Serbia rule the roost, and the visit of Austria might not be regarded as all that sexy by your average Parisian.
Nevertheless, with a keen pricing structure ranging from €10 in the Stade de France’s upper tier to €80 for a seat on the half-way line, many will be tempted to the French capital’s suburbs.
THE IRFU have also linked ticket prices for the two main autumn internationals at Croke Park. According to the union’s website, tickets for the Australia and South Africa games in November can only be bought as a package. A stand ticket for both matches costs €140. The three Six Nations games in 2010 are also linked, with a stand ticket for the games against Scotland, Wales and Italy coming in at €225.
