Online W. Cup ticketing glitch to be fixed by Korea, Japan
Online W. Cup ticketing glitch to be fixed by Korea, Japan
SEOUL (AP): Sometime this week, soccer fans in South Korea and
Japan may finally be able to apply for 2002 World Cup tickets
online, organizers and news reports said Tuesday.
The world's governing body for soccer, FIFA, began taking
requests for tickets to soccer's showcase event over the Internet
on Thursday. But it said online applications from fans in co-
hosts South Korea and Japan would be delayed two or three days
because of a computer glitch.
Though online ticket requests were still impossible in South
Korea and Japan for a fifth day Tuesday, organizers and news
reports suggested that the system could be up and running later
this week.
"The problem is almost solved. We hope to begin taking
Internet orders this week, possibly Thursday," said Lee Ji-yon, a
spokeswoman for South Korea's World Cup Organizing Committee.
The Japan World Cup Organizing Committee said in a brief
statement that it was still waiting to be informed by FIFA when
online applications would begin.
Kyodo news agency reported that organizers expected the
service to start as early as Thursday, citing unidentified JAWOC
officials.
Despite the computer glitch, organizers of the two host
countries have been accepting written applications from domestic
fans since Thursday.
South Korean organizers said they received orders for 91,848
tickets so far.
"If the Internet had been available, we may have had more
orders," said spokeswoman Lee. "However, we haven't had many
complaints from fans about the delay."
In Japan, 34,250 application forms had been received as of
Monday for an unspecified number of tickets, the JAWOC statement
said.
Some 230,000 tickets will be sold to fans in South Korea and
another 221,000 in Japan in the first round of applications,
which will be accepted until March 14. If demand exceeds supply,
the winners will be decided by a computer lottery on March 28.
A total of about 740,000 tickets, priced from US$60 to $500,
have been set aside for South Korea. Japan has received 630,000.
Another 300,000 tickets will be sold in the second round of
applications from Sept. 1 to Oct. 31. The remaining tickets will
be sold next year.
Applications are expected to exceed the number of tickets
available, in which case ticket requests will be filled by
lottery.
South Korea and Japan will host 32 matches each, for which 3
million tickets will be available.
A combined 1.3 million tickets will be sold domestically in
host countries, and 1.5 million internationally. Another 200,000
will go to FIFA officials, media and observers.