FIFA launch investigation into 6,000 empty seats at Uruguay vs Egypt clash

Mohamed Salah's seat on the bench was a talking point but so were all the empty spots in the stands

Wally Downes Jr

Published: 19:02, 15 Jun 2018
Updated: 23:23, 15 Jun 2018

FIFA has launched an investigation after thousands of seats were left embarrassingly empty for Uruguay's 1-0 win over Egypt.

Jose Gimenez went wild after thumping home a 90th-minute header but there were 6,000 empty seats instead of jubilant fans to join in the celebrations.

Uruguay and Egypt was watched by a thin crowd in RussiaCredit: AP:Associated Press

Twenty per cent of the seats inside the ground were emptyCredit: Reuters

There were 6,000 emoty seats at the World Cup clashCredit: Getty Images - Getty

A giant 20 per cent of the seats in the ground went without bums, with red-faced World Cup chiefs blaming ticket holders for swerving the event.

A Fifa spokesman said: "We can confirm that the official attendance for the match between Egypt and Uruguay in Ekaterinburg is 27,015. The Fifa World Cup stadium capacity is 33,061.

"The fact that the actual attendance is lower than the number of allocated tickets can be due to different factors, including 'no shows' on match day, which Fifa is currently investigating."

Several fixtures have been billed as sell-outs but similarly sparse stadiums are expected in the coming weeks.

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