afrol News, 15 April - Many South Africans returned home with disappointed faces after failing to secure cheap over-the-counter tickets to see the home soccer team in the nearing World Cup.

The over the counter World Cup ticket sales started this morning in all the major cities and town of South Africa, where local soccer fanatics formed long queues hoping to secure cheaper tickets to watch their soccer heroes. Tickets over the counter are selling for as little as US$ 20 for the lowest grade seats.

Reports across the country showed that some people actually slept at the selling points hoping to be the first to be served, but much to their disappointment.

However, tickets for other games than those of the host nation team were still said to be available for South African soccer fans.

The world football body, FIFA, had agreed to sell the remaining half a million tickets over the counter, a system which was said to be most favourable to the South African and other African soccer lovers. This decision was reached following complaints by many local fans that they could not get access to the online methods used for the ticket purchases.

South Africa, who is hosting the World Cup from 11 June to 11 July, for the first time on the African soil, is grouped with Mexico, France and Uruguay in the play-offs. Other African teams to compete in the 2010 Soccer World Cup are Algeria, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria.