New chance of FIFA World Cup tickets

New chance of FIFA World Cup tickets:
Our World Cup stadiums shouldn't just be sold out. They should also be full," Franz Beckenbauer has declared. In order to achieve this goal, the 2006 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee (OC), with the agreement of FIFA, is offering football fans around the world a new and additional chance of securing tickets, via an offer to purchase conditional tickets between 2 and 30 November 2005.
"Anyone who's ever taken an international flight knows about waiting lists. If someone fails to show up, or hands back his ticket, the person at the top of the waiting list takes his place. This is how we intend to proceed with FIFA World Cup match tickets. If we receive returned tickets from allocations set aside for national associations, sponsors or other groups, we intend to redistribute these to customers who have previously registered for conditional tickets," explained Horst R. Schmidt, OC senior vice-president responsible for ticketing.

Purchasers of conditional tickets enjoy three interesting benefits from this new chance. First, it offers the opportunity to make firmer plans, since the possibility of receiving FIFA World Cup tickets has been established at an early stage. Second, the conditional ticket allows customers to focus on a particular venue of their choice. Third, holders of conditional tickets can be certain of priority before any returned tickets are put back on public sale.

Conditional tickets will be sold through the internet at www.FIFAworldcup.com in November 2005. This offer is based upon an estimated number of returned tickets per match. Customers who purchase a conditional ticket can select up to a maximum of seven matches for which they will receive priority for tickets that are returned to the OC. Customers may be allocated, and required to pay for, tickets for only one of the selected matches. The OC will allow a maximum of one ticket for the applicant and up to three accompanying persons.

Details of the Conditional ticket programme:

· A waiting list, compiled from a draw among all conditional tickets applicants in November, will determine the order in which returned tickets are distributed. Priority will be given to applicants who were unsuccessful in the first sale phase, together with customers whose TST series are rendered invalid due to the chosen team's failure to qualify for the summer 2006 finals (as of 1 November). The ticket allocation phase begins with the first returned tickets in February 2006, following the third sales phase which lasts from 12 December 2005 to 15 January 2006. From then on, the OC will allocate any returned tickets to conditional ticket applicants in the previously established order.

· In order to minimise the risk of overbooking at individual matches, the OC will only offer conditional tickets per match to the extent returns for a match are expected. This will be indicated with the assistance of so-called traffic light technology on the ticket website. The colours green, yellow and red indicate whether the number of conditional tickets for a given match is plentiful, in short supply, or no longer available.

· Once the allocation of FIFA World Cup tickets returned after the end of January begins, conditional ticket applications will be processed first, before the match tickets go on public sale in the fourth and fifth sales phases.

· The purchase of a conditional ticket does not prevent or in any way restrict option ticket holders from taking part in all further sales phases. Should the applicant be successful in a later phase, duplicate matches from the selected list in the conditional ticket application will be deleted, potentially resulting in the deletion of the entire application. In this case, any previously paid monies - as is the case for all conditional ticket purchasers who are not allocated any FIFA World Cup tickets - will be refunded. Costs accruing to the OC from operating the conditional ticket programme will be covered by a non-refundable fee of €5 per person, payable with the conditional ticket application.

"Our intention with the conditional ticket programme is to establish firm orders for any returned tickets, thus preventing the need to establish and organise a market for these tickets. Sales procedures are thus more easily controlled on our part, and we reduce the risk of empty seats," Horst R. Schmidt commented. The additional chance of acquiring FIFA World Cup tickets is primarily aimed at creating a thrilling overall atmosphere at FIFA World Cup venues.

http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/051028/1/53cs.html

Well now that the Irish are not going to be there , one would imagine that there could be anywhere from 8-10,000 tickets freed up