China can beat Brazil - in fan numbers

South American soccer fans will have to be extraordinarily dedicated -- and extremely rich -- to follow their teams to this year's World Cup finals.

Brazilian spectators have long provided passion, samba music and colour at World Cups but the difficulties of getting to the first finals in Asia have defeated many this time.

Only some 1,000 Brazilians are expected to make the 18,000-kilometre trip from Rio de Janeiro to Seoul which necessitates flying for up to 30 hours and paying up to $10,000 for an all-in package.

Fewer still are expected from Argentina, deeply embroiled in economic crisis, or the other South American nations of Uruguay, Paraguay and Ecuador.

But Brazil's loss is China's gain.

Chinese supporters' groups had hopes of leading 100,000 people to South Korea for China's maiden appearance in the World Cup, though ticket limits and financial costs are whittling down the figure.

Only 10,500 tickets have been made available to Chinese fans for the side's first-round matches against Brazil, Turkey and Costa Rica next month and 15 percent of those would be reserved for the national soccer federation, the China News Service said.

A travel agency run by the Chinese sports ministry is charging 7,000 yuan ($845) for the basic package of one ticket, two nights accommodation and flights to South Korea. The average Chinese income for city-dwellers is $758 a year.

China and South Korea are near neighbours but the overland route to the finals is blocked by Stalinist North Korea, forcing Chinese fans to take a plane or boat.

In a bid to bridge the ticket gap, World Cup organisers have been trying to persuade South Korean fans who have already bought 50,000 tickets for China's games to give up their seats to Chinese supporters in a gesture of goodwill.

Black market ticket prices are expected to soar as the May 31 kick-off approaches and one Chinese fan has already reported being offered a single ticket for 10,000 yuan.

BUSINESS CLIENTS

South Africa's economic strength means the country will provide by far the largest number of travelling supporters from the African continent but few will be ordinary football fans.

Most will be corporate business people and their clients, using the tournament as an opportunity for a little business hospitality.

Travel agents in South Africa say this group will likely number fewer than 200 but will still exceed the number of ordinary fans who intend to follow their team.

Nigerian Football Association officials are trying to sell their allocation of tickets to Nigerians living in Europe and North America, according to marketing manager Enemuo Edozien.

"The least expensive tickets cost $66 which explains why the fans don't line up in front of the ticket offices," he said.

In Cameroon, just two supporters initially bought tickets for the long and expensive trip to Japan but the national team's supporters' association is promising at least 20 will make the journey.

European fans will be much thinner on the ground than four years ago when the World Cup was on their doorstep in France.

Fans of former world champions Germany can expect to pay 4,395 euros ($4,025) for the cheapest package to Japan, plus an extra 75 euros per first-round ticket.

Some 3,000 tickets have been ordered by German fans for their team's group matches against Saudi Arabia, Ireland and Cameroon.

Those fans who do make the trip to Sapporo for the opening game face an additional three-hour plane journey -- complete with extra costs -- if they want to witness their team's training sessions in the seaside resort of Miyazaki.

TROUBLEMAKERS BANNED

Russia is likely to send 1,500 fans, despite packages for the first-round games starting at $2,500 and allegations of officially-inflated ticket prices.

Croatia, Denmark, Sweden and Ireland will send several thousand fans each but in Spain, which has little tradition of sending fans abroad in big numbers, officials said they expected few to make the marathon trip.

Tens of thousands of England fans made the short hop to France to follow their side last time but only between 6,000 and 8,000 are expected to make the longer trip this month, the English Football Association (FA) says.

To the relief of World Cup organisers, new legislation and tighter checks mean that up to 1,800 other England followers, identified as troublemakers by police and the England Supporters Club, will be banned from travelling.

Two intrepid sets of England fans have been en route to the World Cup for some time already.

University friends Gary Flynn, Tom Roberts and Martin Breen set off in September aiming to travel overland, taking in soccer games along the way, on a trip they named "The Dennis Bergkamp Trail" in honour of Arsenal's Dutch forward, who refuses to board a plane.

Another trio, Andy Nicolson, Adam Shrimpton and Paul Conroy, left London last month in an ancient camper van decorated with the red St George's cross of England's flag.

They aimed to drive nearly 10,000 kilometres across 11 countries in time for the finals.

"Hopefully the van will make it or we'll have to thumb a lift," Nicolson said before they left.

(Additional reporting by Mark Gleeson in Johannesburg, Brian Homewood in Rio de Janeiro, John Ruwitch in Beijing and Patrick Vignal in Berlin.)