FIFA blames empty seats in Mexico on fans in concourses

Christian Pulisic

FIFA on Friday blamed the empty seats during the World Cup match between South Korea and the Czech Republic in Guadalajara on fans who watched from the concourses.

There were many visible empty spots at the 45,664-capacity Guadalajara Stadium, with sections in the middle of the stands showing many unoccupied spaces and with other empty seats scattered around the venue. The announced attendance was 44,985.

A concourse is a wide, continuous, and open walkway or hallway located behind the seating sections for crowds to move around. "Official attendance figures reflect the number of tickets scanned and spectators present within the stadium footprint, rather than visual assessments of seating occupancy at any given moment during the match," FIFA said, adding that it works closely with stadium authorities and ticketing teams to ensure all published figures are based on verified operational data.

"During last night's match in Guadalajara, several ticketed fans could be seen standing in concourses rather than staying in their assigned seats throughout the match," FIFA said. There was indeed a significant number of fans standing on the concourses and by the concession stands throughout Thursday's match.

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