FIFA criticises poor attendances at Turkey’s Under-20 World Cup

Jun 25, 2013 8:36:49 AM

FIFA has criticised Turkey’s organising committee for the Under-20 World Cup after poor attendances for the opening days of the tournament.

FIFA has criticised Turkey’s organising committee for the Under-20 World Cup after poor attendances for the opening days of the tournament.
The Under-20 World Cup got underway on Friday and is being staged in the cities of Istanbul, Antalya, Bursa, Gaziantep, Kayseri, Rize and Trabzon. Jim Boyce, chairman of the FIFA Organising Committee for the tournament, said on Monday that he was unhappy with the fact that the opening 12 games have averaged only 4,828 spectators. If this attendance level continues, Turkey 2013 will mark the lowest-attended Under-20 World Cup since 1977.
Boyce had expressed concerns before the tournament about empty seats, as only 300,000 of the 1.3 million tickets had been sold. “Despite the Local Organising Committee’s excellent event preparation, I am nevertheless very disappointed by the match attendance figures,” he said, according to the Associated Press. “This tournament is a wonderful chance for Turkey, but the low number of spectators currently detracts from this opportunity.” The sight of near-empty stadiums could damage Turkey at a time when the country is making a major push in the event-hosting sector.
Istanbul is competing against Madrid and Tokyo for the right to stage the 2020 Olympic Games, with a decision to be made on September 7. Meanwhile, UEFA president Michel Platini has previously named the country as his preferred choice to host the showpiece semi-finals and final of Euro 2020. Speaking before the tournament, Boyce said hosting FIFA’s second-biggest competition after the World Cup provided Turkey with a valuable opportunity to showcase its event-staging capabilities. “It’s very important the Turkish football public come out and give great support to this tournament,” Boyce said last week. “I know Turkey for example is very keen on hopefully hosting the likes of the European finals. Obviously an event like this will put Turkish football on the map and hopefully will help them in their bid in the future to host bigger tournaments such as a World Cup.” ---------------------- goal.com