And you only have to read his letter to today’s Cape Times to see why:
As I was reading this sorry tale today, I was amazed at the number of foolish allegations and inconsistencies in P Tucker’s letter. It would be unfair to label him “stupid” without first addressing each of these in detail.
I shall do this now.
P Tucker applied in the first phase of ticket sales and was rather successful. As he points out, there was no indication as to where the different price categories for each of the games were. That’s because no-one had any idea who would be playing in the tournament, much less who they’d be playing against and where. The number of seats in each category varies from game to game, so that there is more chance of the stadium being filled and so that FIFA and the LOC can maximise profit from each game. P Tucker knew about this when applying for those tickets as he clicked the little box stating that he agreed with the ticketing terms and conditions.
Didn’t P Tucker read them before checking the box?
More fool P Tucker.
P Tucker doesn’t say which category he applied for, let alone which match(es), but was hugely indignant when he found out that he had been given tickets in block 333 (half the Number of the Beast) which he describes as being “near the roof”, although I believe the technical term is “in the top tier”.
Of course, as any seasoned sports fan will tell you, it’s not how high up in the stadium you are, it’s whether you are behind the goals or down the side of the pitch that determines how good your view is and therefore how much you’re likely to pay.
I love P Tucker’s rage that a friend got “better” tickets for R600, which amounts to “total manipulation by Match officials”. Yes, P Tucker – they’re obviously totally manipulated against you, personally. They hate you, despise you and give you tickets in the attic, but they seem to love your mate, don’t they? Damn, it must be so very difficult when the system is stacked in everyone else’s favour. How do you live, day to day?
What an expensive joke they are playing with the soccer patrons of South Africa you, P Tucker.
And it’s not even as if this smear campaign against all things P Tucker ends there. Because his next set of tickets were “also near the roof” in the now infamous Block 304. Now this is where things get interesting, because that second lot of tickets must have been purchased over the counter. Otherwise, he would have received all his tickets in one go. And when you buy over the counter (or even online during an over the counter ticketing phase), you get to see that all-important map of the stadium before you click the purchase button. And yet P Tucker seems to have chosen to sit “near the roof” again, despite his unmentioned vertigo issues.
While P Tucker is distressed at the placement of the tickets he has been allocated, he’s lucky to have got any at all. Such is the demand for tickets – especially for Cape Town games – there are many thousands who wish they could be sitting in Block 333 or even (at a push) Block 304. All of which brings me to my symbiotic solution to this issue.
P Tucker, distraught with having to climb so many steps to get to watch the games and upset with Match’s personal vendetta against him, should simply sell his tickets back to FIFA.
He’ll get all his money back – no commission, no fees, no questions asked – and then someone more grateful (and less paranoid and downright miserable) can have them.
