Brazil set for Confederations Cup record crowd

Rio de Janeiro, May 8 (IANS) Brazil is on target to set a new attendance record for next month’s Confederations Cup, world football’s governing body FIFA said.

More than 588,000 tickets have already been sold for the tournament, representing 71 percent of the total seats available, FIFA said in a statement Tuesday, reports Xinhua.

The figure already exceeds the 584,000 that attended the 2009 event in South Africa.

According to FIFA’s marketing director Thierry Weil, this year’s overall attendance tally is on track to break the mark set in Germany in 2005, when 83 percent of available tickets were sold.

“Due to delayed stadium deliveries, we are only now in the position to conduct the seat allocations in each of the venues,” Weil said.

“Yet we are very confident that we will break another record for the FIFA Confederations Cup, with the Brazilians providing the global TV audience with a glimpse of what kind of stadium atmosphere to expect in 2014.”

The final at Rio’s revamped Maracana Stadium June 30 has attracted most interest with 60,000 tickets already sold while 58,000 have gone for the tournament opener between Brazil and Japan June 15.

Considered a dry run for the World Cup a year later, the Confederations Cup will comprise each of FIFA’s six continental champions, host nation Brazil and European runner-up Italy.’

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