After three of five ticketing sales phases for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa, two-thirds of the available tickets have been sold.

The third ticketing sales phase, which will conclude with a random draw for oversubscribed matches on 1 February, saw a total of 1,206,865 applications received from 192 countries. Six matches are currently oversubscribed (in all categories), among them the semi-finals and the final. In total, 55 matches are oversubscribed in at least one category.

There was huge interest from South African residents, who accounted for 79 per cent of the total applications received (958,381) in this phase. This represents an increase of 24.9 per cent in applications from South African residents in the third sales phase when compared to the earlier ticketing stages.

Apart from the host country, the USA led the ticketing standings for the third phase with 50,217 applications, followed by the UK (41,529), Australia (15,523), Mexico (14,804), Germany (14,647) and Brazil (10,767). Increased interest was also noted in the neighbouring countries of South Africa – Botswana leading with 2,519 ticket applications, followed by Mozambique (1,795) and Namibia (1,191).

The next ticketing sales phase will start on 9 February 2010 and end on 7 April 2010. During these 58 days, more than 400,000 tickets will be made available on a first-come, first-served basis via www.fifa.com/2010 or in FNB branches (in South Africa only).

From 15 April 2010 onwards, ticketing centres will be open in each host city (with two in Johannesburg) where fans will be able to buy tickets over the counter and also collect their confirmed tickets.

To further enhance the service, ticketing call centres will be open during the fourth sales phase – both internationally and in the host country. The call centres will assist fans with enquiries and applications. The hotline number for international customers is 0041445832010, and for domestic customers 0831232010.

For residents of the host country, the allocation of category 4 tickets (the most affordable, for South African residents only – starting from USD 20/ZAR 140) will, as planned, increase significantly.

In recognition of Visa’s valued sponsorship, FIFA prefers Visa for ticket sales.

FIFA has taken new measures to facilitate fans’ access to match tickets for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™.

These measures are directed, in particular, at fans of the participating member associations (PMAs) and add to previously taken measures directed at South African residents. The move comes as the excitement surrounding the first World Cup on African soil continues to grow and only a week before the closing of the third ticket sales phase for the general public on 22 January.

Measures taken for the sale of tickets via the PMAs:

• To ensure that fans from the qualified associations have more time and easier access to tickets to watch their teams, FIFA has agreed to create a new PMA sales phase between 9 February and 7 April 2010. Only one such phase had previously been planned, starting on 5 December 2009 and closing on 13 January 2010. This second PMA sales phase will run at the same time as the fourth sales phase for the general public carried out via FIFA.com (and the FNB branches in South Africa only) and will operate on a first-come-first-served basis.

• For the first PMA sales phase, any tickets allocated to one of the participating teams for their matches that have not been sold will be provided to opposing teams who have received more requests from their fans than tickets allocated in that period. This will help ensure that those PMAs who received more requests than tickets available in that first sales phase will be able to fulfil those requests.

This extension of the sales process is a major step towards ensuring that all fans have the chance to purchase tickets for FIFA’s flagship competition via official sources.

As already announced, FIFA has set up an accommodation booking tool to help fans: www.FIFA.com/accommodation

For more information about ticketing and the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, please go to: www.FIFA.com/tickets

IFA has announced the launch of a brand new e-commerce environment where football fans worldwide will for the first time ever have the opportunity to buy items from FIFA’s official website, FIFA.com.

The site will offer event merchandise for several FIFA tournaments, including the upcoming FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa as well as a wide selection of clothing from FIFA’s new lifestyle clothing ranges. Furthermore, team-related products will also be available, offering football fans the chance to show their devotion to their favourite club and national teams.

“The e-commerce platform on FIFA.com is a vital component in our merchandising programme” says Thierry Weil, FIFA Marketing Director. “It is important that FIFA gives as many fans as possible the opportunity to access both FIFA’s new lifestyle clothing ranges as well as the event memorabilia for our top events”.

Online shoppers will have access to all of the latest items from FIFA’s authentic new sports lifestyle apparel, FIFA Collections. The Collections, which hit stores in August 2009 is a new, fresh fashion range which embodies a fusion of football, fashion and culture, reflected in the design and production of the all new casual-wear and accessories.

Event-related merchandise will primarily focus on Official Licensed Products for the upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, with articles for future tournaments such as the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011™ and the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ becoming available as products are launched. Products from FIFA’s Commercial Affiliates will complete the assortment of goods.

The team-related products will include official jerseys from both national and club football teams, as well as a wide variety of further merchandise such as footballs, flags and scarves.

The e-commerce store will be run by FIFA’s Exclusive Worldwide Master Licensee, Global Brands Group.

In recognition of Visa’s valued sponsorship, FIFA.com prefers Visa for all transactions online.

Welsh Football League club Barry Town is on the hunt for a new owner, according to business transfer website, http://www.BusinessesForSale.com

Founded in 1888 Barry Town is a legend in Welsh footballing history. The club is ranked equal with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Italian side Napoli by UEFA due to their previous successes and league title victories.

This includes a 3-1 victory over Porto at Jenner Park in the European Champions League and matches against Dynamo Kiev, Aberdeen and Boavista in the Champions League and UEFA Cup group stages.

The side recently won promotion to Division 1 and is on the market as the current owner and chairman Stuart Lovering feels he has taken the club as far as he can.

“I bought the club out of receivership and I have spent a huge amount of time, effort and money rebuilding the business to its present position.” He said. “I now feel the time is right to pass the club onto the next generation so the club can grow further and faster.”

The club is being advertised on BusinessesForSale.com by business sales experts Turner Butler. Shaun Sweeney, Managing Director says:

“The club is an excellent proposition. We’re delighted to have it on our books.”

The club is a bargain at just GBP250,000.

With only under 100 days to go until the start of the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2009 presented by TOYOTA, tickets for the tournament officially went on sale today. FIFA and the UAE Football Association (UAEFA) are encouraging fans to act quickly in order to secure their seats and avoid disappointment when this prestigious event comes to the UAE for the first time in December.

Tickets for the tournament, being held at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium and Zayed Stadium between 9-19 December, can be purchased by logging on to www.FIFA.com/uae2009 or calling 800-5425 or +971 2 449 9955 (if you are calling from overseas).

The official launch took place at the Emirates Palace and was attended by Chuck Blazer, member of the FIFA Executive Committee and chairman of the FIFA Club World Cup Organising Committee, along with Yousuf Abdullah, General Secretary of the UAEFA and His Excellency Mohammed Ibrahim Al Mahmood, General Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council.

Speaking at the event, Yousuf Abdullah, said: “The new world champion of club football will be crowned in Abu Dhabi in December and this is a unique opportunity for the people of the UAE to be part of an historic international event. Some of the biggest names in football will be playing right here in our backyard for the very first time.”

The final match schedule will not be complete until November when the respective AFC and CAF Champions League finals are contested, but there is already great demand for tickets. The opening match will pit the UAE’s Al Ahli FCD against OFC Champions League winners Auckland City, whilst the semi-finals will feature FC Barcelona in one tie and Argentinian side Estudiantes de la Plata, captained by Juan Sebastian Veron, in the other.

Chuck Blazer said: “This competition goes from strength to strength every year. I remember Sir Alex Ferguson saying last year that whatever the club goes on to achieve in the future, people will always be able to look back at the records and see that in 2008, Manchester United were the champions of world club football.”

“I know that people in the UAE are very passionate about their football and with both stadiums having undergone extensive refurbishment, I am sure fans will enjoy a fantastic tournament.”

Ticket prices and packages
Tickets are available in four price categories for each matchday and have been designed with affordability and accessibility in mind. The price categories reflect the variation in views of the pitch. Ticket prices start from as little as AED 10 for category four tickets and go up to AED 300 for category one tickets for the closing ceremony and the final.

Female and family stands
To ensure the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2009 is an event that can be attended and enjoyed by everyone, dedicated female-only and family stands will be available at both stadiums.

Off the pitch, spectators will also be able to enjoy a football fan zone which will include a range of entertainment activities for the whole family as well as merchandise stores and food and beverage outlets. The fan zone will open two hours before every match.

Advance purchase and reserved seating
The public will be required to purchase tickets in advance and all ticket holders will be assigned specific seats in line with FIFA competition requirements.

At the time of ticket purchase, customers will be allocated a seat in their requested price category and will be able to view the zone in the stadium where they will be seated. All customers who purchase tickets online or by phone will receive a confirmation e-mail or text message.

In recognition of Visa’s valued sponsorship, FIFA prefers Visa.

Manchester United has agreed with the OFT to revise its season ticket terms and conditions to make them clearer and fairer for fans.

Following a complaint from the Manchester United Supporters Trust in November, the OFT identified a number of potentially unfair terms with the club’s season tickets under the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contract Regulations (UTCCRs). The club has responded positively and agreed to amend its terms to ensure that:

• every season ticket holder is now guaranteed a seat at every home league and cup game,

• the club provides clearer information about when a season ticket holder is likely to be moved from their seat for a cup match,

• if fans’ season tickets are terminated for failure of credit card payments for cup games they will receive a pro-rata refund of the money they have already paid to the club,

• duplicate season tickets are issued where the original has been lost or stolen, and

• a clearer appeal process is in place to deal with disputes over cancellation of season tickets because of non-payment for cup matches. The club has also agreed to provide clear and upfront information to supporters before they buy their tickets, enabling them to calculate the maximum total cost for a holder over a season based on the club reaching the final stage in all competitions, as well as an indication of the number of home cup games in the previous campaign.

Though Manchester United did not agree that the previous terms and conditions were unfair the club has provided assurances that these changes will be implemented in time for supporters considering the purchase of season tickets for 2009/2010.

Mike Haley, OFT Head of Consumer Protection, said:

‘We have worked closely with Manchester United and are pleased that the club has amended its season ticket terms to the considerable benefit of its fans. These changes greatly improve the protection for season ticket holders at all stages of the process, from upfront transparency on potential costs, to a guarantee of a ticket to all home games in all competitions.’

NOTES

1. The Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 (UTCCRs) protect consumers against unfair standard terms in contracts they make with traders. The Office of Fair Trading, together with certain other bodies, can take legal action to prevent the use of such terms. The UTCCRs can protect consumers from terms that reduce their statutory or common law rights and from terms that seek to impose unfair burdens on the consumer.

2. The OFT has used its enforcement of the UTCCRs to help improve terms and conditions across a wide variety of sectors. In relation to ticketing terms and conditions for football matches, in December the OFT secured an agreement from Tottenham Hotspur to amend its terms and conditions relating to ticket refunds for fans and wrote to the Football Associations of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland calling on clubs to ensure terms are compliant with the law. See http://www.oft.gov.uk/news/press/2008/142-08.

3. In the event of the loss or theft of a season ticket Manchester United Football Club will issue a duplicate season ticket unless the Club reasonably believes that a ticket holder is, or has been acting in a fraudulent or illegal manner or in breach of any of the ticket’s terms and conditions.

Source: Office of Fair Trading

Tickets for Rome final go on sale on 2 March
UEFA announced in Rome that the tickets sales for the UEFA Champions League Final 2009, to be played at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on 27 May at 20:45 CET, will commence on Monday 2 March at 12:00 CET exclusively via Europe’s football website uefa.com.

The general public will be able to apply for up to two tickets per applicant from an allocation of 10’000 tickets between 2 March 12:00 CET to 16 March 12:00 CET. Once the application period has finished, allocation will be decided by lottery and every valid application will enter the ballot, independent of the time of submission within the application period.

The net capacity of the Stadio Olimpico for the UEFA Champions League Final 2009 will be 67’000. 75% of the tickets are reserved for the general public and the supporters of the two finalist clubs. Each finalist is entitled to an allocation of 20’000 tickets and to distribute these directly to their supporters, meaning a total of 40’000 tickets for fans, plus the 10’000 tickets available for sale to fans worldwide via uefa.com.

The remaining tickets will be allocated to the European football family, comprising UEFA, the local organising committee, national associations, commercial partners and broadcasters.

There are four price categories available for the general public:
Category 1 200.00 EUR
Category 2 140.00 EUR
Category 3 90.00 EUR
Disabled 70.00 EUR

All applicants are bound by the ticketing terms and conditions. Action will be taken in cases of infringement. Online applications will be checked against police data to ensure that anyone banned from stadiums is unsuccessful in any attempt to purchase tickets.

Persons attending the final are warned that tickets will be personalised and that security checks at the stadium are planned. UEFA underlines that no tickets are being distributed via agencies or brokers. The only official sales channel for the international general public will be uefa.com, UEFA’s official website. In addition, the two finalist clubs will distribute tickets to their supporters.

Once the two finalists are known at the beginning of May 2009, the clubs will communicate in detail how they operate the sales to their supporters. UEFA also encourages fans not to be lured into deals with touts who not only demand exorbitant prices but are often not in possession of the tickets they purport to have for sale.

FIFA and Panini [the world's largest publisher of collectibles] have signed a joint agreement for the next six years.

The exclusive agreement will cover the next two FIFA World Cups™ in South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014 for trading cards and sticker album collections. Panini collections have proven to be so popular over the last 10 tournaments that Panini became the natural choice to continue its work with FIFA.

Thierry Weil, FIFA’s Director of Marketing said: “FIFA is proud to work with our long-term licensee Panini for the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups™, especially after the success story of Germany in 2006.”

The 2006 FIFA World Cup™ in Germany created the opportunity for Panini to mastermind the most successful collectable campaign in history. Panini sold its programme in almost 100 countries around the world, smashing all previous sales records.

Trading cards and stickers are collected by an increasing number of consumer groups. Three generations have now grown up with the hobby as a firm favourite, with many children benefiting from the keen assistance and involvement of their parents and grandparents. However, many enthusiasts within the older age brackets do not need children as their excuse to get involved and are openly as keen to complete their collections.

Peter Warsop, Panini’s Group Licensing Director said: “The Panini Group is privileged to have been appointed the exclusive collectible sticker and trading card licensee again. FIFA’s decision to re-appoint us as its licensee is a great reward for the investments made previously. We are already in discussions with our promotional partners and are committed to continuing the positive trends we have already seen across all product categories.”

An awe-inspiring African themed TV show at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg will provide a fitting backdrop on 22 November 2008 when the draw for next year’s FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa takes place. Starting at 17h00 (CET+1), FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke will conduct the draw to decide which of the best continental performers will face each other in the two four-team groups in their quest for the crown of ‘champions of champions’. He will be assisted by seven Miss World contestants from the participating member associations, as well as the reigning Miss World Zilin Zhang, who will represent Asian champions Iraq.

The results can also be followed live on www.FIFA.com/southafrica2009 (with the exception of Italy and South Africa). The tournament kicks off on 14 June 2009 at the Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg, precisely 361 days before world football’s biggest showpiece – and Africa’s first FIFA World Cup. South African artists will provide musical interludes during the draw show to provide the 800 guests with a taste of what to expect during June 2009. The South African TV star Carol Manana will lead the 50-minute programme, which will be broadcast live on SABC 1 and also provided to broadcasters in 187 countries.

“It would be wrong to regard the FIFA Confederations Cup as merely an entrée to the main course. The eight participating nations represent the cream of their respective continents and the contrast between these teams and their diverse styles should create a fascinating spectacle for the fans. It is shaping up to be an exciting precursor to the 2010 FIFA World Cup,” said the FIFA Secretary General, who represents FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter, together with the FIFA Executive Member and Chairman of the FIFA Organising Committee for the FIFA Confederations Cup, Issa Hayatou. The FIFA President is currently attending the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Chile.

Defending champions Brazil, FIFA World Cup™ winners Italy, hosts South Africa and European champions Spain will be placed in Pot 1. Egypt, Iraq, New Zealand and the USA will be drawn out of pot 2. South Africa, as hosts, are set as team A1 – as per the regulations which require the hosts to play the Opening Match. The only newcomers to the 2009 edition are Iraq and the two European teams – reigning world champions Italy and European champions Spain.

“It will be a wonderful opportunity for the fans to get a taste of a FIFA World Cup atmosphere in the stadiums. We are confident that South Africans will not want to miss this opportunity to see some of the best teams in world football and that matches will be sell-outs. And as for the organisation, our stadiums will undoubtedly be ready and the Confederations Cup will give us a great opportunity to test our systems and logistical planning ahead of the FIFA World Cup,” said SALOC CE0 Danny Jordaan.

Fans will be able to order tickets online via FIFA.com from 23 November onwards. The Internet will be the main point of sale as is nowadays standard procedure. However, in the host country, paper applications are available at all branches of FIFA sponsors FNB. The products range from individual tickets to a variety of ticket series such as the Venue Specific Tickets (VST), which allow fans to attend all matches in a specific stadium, and which are sure to be popular once again. As for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, MATCH AG has been appointed as the service company responsible for ticketing.