England’s footballers "were facing the prospect" of playing their first home World Cup qualifying match Tuesday against Ukraine "in front of 20,000 empty seats" at Wembley Stadium, according to Oliver Kay of the LONDON TIMES. The expected crowd of 70,000 is "a little unnerving" considering Ukraine last visited in April '09 when 87,548 fans showed up. A late rush is expected, but still, the FA has had "to work far harder to sell tickets" than in the first few years after Wembley reopened in '07. England midfielder Frank Lampard said, “We always have great support. I am guessing it [the struggle to sell tickets] is a little bit of a culmination of the economic situation. " Lampard "is right." The economic climate "is one factor," but some football teams "appear recession-proof." However, the England national team, who in theory have the whole country to draw from, "are not one of them" (LONDON TIMES, 9/10). The London DAILY MAIL reported that int'l football "is suffering in London in the shadow of the Olympic and Paralympic Games." There are two games in the capital on Tuesday -- England’s match against Ukraine and Ireland’s friendly against Oman at Craven Cottage -- and both have reported "disappointing tickets sales" (DAILY MAIL, 9/9).
