FIFA denies inflating World Cup attendance figures

Football's international governing body, FIFA, faces accusations of inflating the official attendance figure for a near-capacity match between South Korea and the Czech Republic at the ongoing World Cup. The BBC reported that FIFA recorded 44,985 spectators for the game played in Guadalajara, Mexico, which has a stadium capacity of 46,000.

Despite images circulating that showed several empty seats during the match, FIFA maintains the reported attendance is accurate. "The official attendance figures reflect the number of scanned tickets and spectators present within the stadium premises, and not visual assessments of how many seats are occupied at a given time during the match," FIFA stated, according to the BBC.

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The official attendance figures reflect the number of scanned tickets and spectators present within the stadium premises, and not visual assessments of how many seats are occupied at a given time during the match.

The organization explained that some ticket holders were standing in the stadium's concourses rather than occupying their designated seats for the entire duration of the match. FIFA also released a photograph from the game, which, according to the BBC, depicts a nearly full stadium.

This controversy follows earlier fan criticism directed at FIFA regarding high ticket prices for the tournament. FIFA President Gianni Infantino had defended the introduction of dynamic pricing, which adjusts ticket costs based on demand, stating that prices were comparable to other major sporting events.

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It should be noted that several ticket holders during yesterday's match in Guadalajara could be seen standing in the concourses rather than occupying their assigned seats throughout the match.