Sport World sport
More than three million fans world-wide attended the 16 FIFA Fan Fest venues since the start of the World Cup in South Africa two weeks ago, the football governing body said on Sunday.
Fifa says .5 million people visited the ten Fan Fest venue in South Africa while similar figures were recorded in Rome, Paris, Berlin, Sydney, Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro.
The Fan Fest has been particularly successful in coastal towns where there have been warmer temperatures.
In South Africa, Durban topped the attendance to its Fan Fest venues with more than 375 000 people having watched the World Cup games on the giant screens. At least 304 581 people visited Fen Fest venues in Cape Town followed by Port Elizabeth with 146 974 and Sandton with 133 326.
The night games have seen a huge deterioration in the number of people visiting to the Fan Fest in Johannesburg due to low temperatures. The opening match between Mexico and South Africa attracted a staggering 303 671 fans to different Fan Fest venues across the globe while the match between Brazil and Portugal was watched by close to 130 000 people.
FIFA created the Fan Fest concept for the first time in Germany in 2006 to allow families and friends, who may not be attending matches to the stadium, to watch the games in one place. - BuaNews
