The attendance figures during the World Cup have baffled many.
In six matches, the stadium received more spectators than was available to it.
– The crowd figure includes everyone inside the arena, explains Hans Holtmann, FIFA’s press director.
The third day of the FIFA World Cup ended and included, among other things, a huge shock when Argentina fell to Saudi Arabia with a score of 2-1.
In addition to the result, the attendance numbers at Lusail Stadium were also amazing. The arena, which can accommodate 80,000 spectators.
Players are counted
But when FIFA published the figure, there were 88,012 people on site, 110% occupancy.
If you look at the other eight matches that were played (see factbox below), you will find that six of those matches had attendance figures above maximum capacity.
Are journalists, officials and even players included?
– It is true that the personality of the crowd includes everyone inside the arena, as FIFA’s press director Hans Holtmann explained in an email response to Sportbladet.
The arena was half empty
The match that raised the most questions was the one in which the Netherlands beat Senegal 2-0 on Monday. Then large parts of the stands were empty. However, the official attendance number was 41,721, 1,721 more spectators than the arena’s maximum capacity.
The respected Guardian newspaper speculates that the mystery could be explained by Fifa showing the number of tickets sold rather than actual visitors.
When Sportbladet puts the question to Hans Hultman, we don’t get an answer.