体坛英语新闻：FIFA to reconsider World Cup ticket sales

JOHANNESBURG, May 21 (Xinhua) -- After FIFA's online ticket sales system proved to be overly complicated for large number of South African soccer fans, football's world governing body is considering a change of the way to sale FIFA World Cup tickets.

The cost of tickets could also be reconsidered with the high prices contributing to keeping away fans, not just South Africans but those from the rest of Africa as well, FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke told reporters in Johannesburg on Thursday.

After slow sales for this year's World Cup in South Africa, FIFA introduced over-the-counter sales, which proved to be highly effective.

FIFA also increased the number of cheap seats for South Africans and legal residents of the country.

Valcke admitted the tickets sales system FIFA put in place was not perfect.

"We will start all ticketing policies from scratch for 2014. We would be facing some similar problems in Brazil."

According to local media Football365, ticket sales across Africa fell 76 percent below original predictions, with only 11,300 African visitors booking the tickets.