South Africa's goalless draw with Iraq in Johannesburg was watched by 48,837 fans in a 61,000-capacity stadium, while only 21,649 witnessed Spain demolish New Zealand 5-0 in a 42,000-capacity ground in Rustenburg

"I think they (the local organisers) could have done a little bit more," Blatter said today.

"You can take people to the stadium on buses from school, from church.

"At Ellis Park as well, if they would have given the remaining seats to the boys and girls from the opening ceremony, they would be happy. They could have watched the match."

Blatter has already held talks with the South African Local Organising Committee (SALOC) over the issue.

"There must be some action taken for the rest of the competition," he added. "To have half-empty stadiums is not FIFA. They have to do something about it.

"We know that the prices of the tickets cannot be too high, but bring the young people or the poor people into the stadium, and nobody will be offended by that."

The eight-team tournament is seen by many as a test run for next year's World Cup, which will be held in Africa for the first time.