SAFA to back Bafana Bafana

January 15 - The South African Football Federation (SAFA) has reacted to the news that most World Cup tickets purchased in South Africa are for teams such as England, Germany, Italy and Argentina, by embarking on a special campaign.

SAFA is hoping that the campaign will urge South Africans to buy tickets to watch Bafana Bafana, the country's national team, and is planning to mobilize as many citizens as possible.

The idea is to create a patriotic feeling that will sweep through the country and get more soccer fans to back the team.

"We need to create a vibe in South Africa for the World Cup," said Lesley Sedibe, the new Chief Executive for SAFA. "We need to make sure that our people rally behind Bafana Bafana."

One of the main problems is identifying ways to obtain tickets.

"We have to remember that the sale of tickets for the World Cup is different from what we are accustomed to, we are involved in discussions with our sponsors on the matter," said Sedibe.

"One of the things we need to do as a matter of urgency is to find the way to reach out to our people and also identify a simpler way of ensuring they have access to the tickets," he said. "We are meeting FIFA before the end of this month, where the issue of tickets will also be discussed.

Sedibe said that the biggest challenge facing SAFA at the moment is the huge demand for Category 4 tickets which are the cheapest available, and can only be purchased by South African residents.

In the meantime, the Durban Stadium has received rave reviews from local and international media outlets.

The arena boasts superb features such as a cable car which takes visitors 106 m above the pitch to a viewing platform.

The FIFA World Cup kicks off in less than 2010 in South Africa.

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