Last Minute Rush Seen for Soccer Cup Tix As Prices Fall

(GIN) - The South African government expects a last-minute rush for tickets for the 32-nation Soccer World Cup tournament as tour operators bring down prices.
"There is no need to panic but rather to start selling South Africa even more feverishly," Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan told reporters in Cape Town.
South Africa has spent 34 billion rand ($4.6 billion) to host the World Cup, including building 10 world-class stadiums. All it needs now is fans. Three months before the June 11 kickoff, about 100,000 international air tickets have been sold.
Meanwhile, as many as 30,000 workers who built the stadiums and provided related services are back on the streets, said Issac Ntshangase, who coordinates construction for the National Union of Mineworkers in Johannesburg.
While the event will not help to significantly mitigate poverty, it will leave behind "many positives," said Udesh Pillay, co-author of "Development and Dreams: The Urban Legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup."