FIFA responds to thousands of empty seats during South Korea - Czech Republic


According to FIFA, almost 45,000 spectators were present during the World Cup match between South Korea and the Czech Republic, but this does not seem to be correct. There were many empty chairs to be seen, which caused a lot of criticism. However, FIFA maintains its position. The World Cup match between South Korea and the Czech Republic took place on Saturday night in Guadalajara, Mexico (2-1). Estadio Akron can accommodate a total of 45,664 spectators. According to FIFA, around 44,985 spectators were present, but thousands of empty seats were visible during the match. That was not a big surprise, as it became clear in April that not a single World Cup match had been sold out, partly due to the high ticket prices. This led to a lot of criticism in the foreign media. FIFA, on the other hand, claims not to have lied about the visitor numbers, as stated on X. According to them, the published figures are based on verified operational data. 'Official attendance figures reflect the number of tickets scanned and spectators present within the stadium grounds. They are not based on visual estimates of the occupancy of the stands at any given time during the match.' The World Football Association does have an explanation for the many empty seats. 'Please note that during the match in Guadalajara, several supporters with valid tickets were visible in the stadium's galleries and corridors, rather than remaining in their assigned seats for the entire match.'