After seeing some of the stadiums half empty during the early 2009 Confederations Cup group stages, FIFA acknowledged the giveaway of more than 70,000 complimentary tickets and that the total amount for the entire tournament would be known after its conclusion.

Via FoxSports

The amount of complimentary tickets for the group stage is 70,000,” FIFA spokesman Nicolas Maingot said Wednesday, adding that total numbers would likely be available after the 16-match competition ends.

On Tuesday, Maingot said FIFA would also give away some tickets for Wednesday’s semifinal match between Spain and the United States in Bloemfontein, but it was unclear how many were distributed.

“I do not have the exact figures at this stage,” Maingot said.

For Thursday’s semifinal match in Johannesburg between Brazil and South Africa, FIFA said Wednesday there are 1,700 tickets costing $120 still available, but no free tickets have been given out for that match at Ellis Park.

Tickets at this year’s Confederations Cup range from $10 to as high as $200 for the final, which is well out of the reach of many people in South Africa, where unemployment is about 25 percent.

World Cup organizing committee spokesman Jermaine Craig said his group and FIFA have tried to make tickets available to everyone.

“What the organizing committee and FIFA have done is peg the exchange rate at 7 rand to the U.S. dollar, much less than the current rate,” Craig said. “And we’ve tried to make tickets as affordable and as accessible to all South Africans as possible - of course understanding the circumstances of many of our countrymen and countrywomen.”

Image via Capetown