A spokesman for the soccer body, Wolfgang Eichler, told The Times yesterday that stakeholders, local authorities and non-governmental organisations that have assisted Fifa in preparing for the tournament, will receive the complimentary tickets and distribute them.

“Some of the authorities have assured us that schools will [receive complimentary tickets],” Eichler said.

The decision to distribute tickets was made after Fifa president Sepp Blatter on Monday criticised the local organising committee for not doing enough to fill stadiums.

His comments followed the second match of the tournament, which featured top-ranking team Spain against New Zealand, was played at a half empty stadium in Rustenburg on Sunday night.

Rich Mkhondo, a spokesman for South Africa’s local organising committee, said he was satisfied with ticket sales because 450,100 of the 643,000 Confederation Cup tickets had been sold.

“We are doing very well. But some of the games will be a challenge [because] there are many factors that have an impact on spectator numbers, such as who is playing, where they are playing, and at what time the match is played.”

Mkhondo said, however, free tickets will only be distributed during the first-round games of the tournament.

Tickets were given out for last night’s game featuring South Africa and New Zealand in Rustenburg, though Mkhondo was unable to confirm the number nor where they were distributed.

Yesterday, the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the ministry of women, children and persons with disabilities urged South Africans to attend matches.

“The low turnouts at some matches have been a serious embarrassment to the country and must be improved upon,” Cosatu spokesman Patrick Craven said in a statement yesterday.