The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium will host England's match against Slovenia

Tickets to the 2010 World Cup have been made easier for local fans to buy after disappointing sales ahead of the tournament's first match on 11 June.

From April tickets will be available to purchase for cash as well as via the internet or written forms in banks.

Supporters in host nation South Africa are used to buying seats on the day of a match rather than in advance.

This year's World Cup could be the first in which tickets to watch the host nation are not the most popular.

The current ways of buying tickets has been criticised as unsuitable and over-complicated.

Most poor black football fans do not have internet access and many do not have bank accounts.

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Organisers will also make the tickets - the cheapest of which are still six times the price of a seat at a local top-flight match - available over the counter.

"We are definitely in the process of changing this and as a member of the ticketing committee, I am confident that Fifa will understand our position," said chief organiser Danny Jordaan.

Jordaan previously revealed that more South Africans have bought tickets to see England play than for their own national team.

The situation is a contrast to the previous World Cup in Germany in 2006 where there was an average of six applications for each available ticket.

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