A Briton and an American have been arrested for ticket touting at the World Cup.
South Africa police said Friday that a weeklong investigation resulted in the arrests of 38-year-old Karen Sorenson and 39-year-old Brendan Evans, a Zimbabwe-born U.S. citizen, at their hotel in Sandton, north of Johannesburg.
Thursday's arrests were on charges of illegally selling and distributing World Cup hospitality packages in contravention of South Africa's Trade Practices Act and the Unfair Business Practices Act, which covers ticket sales and distribution.
Sorenson and Evans appeared in a special World Cup court on Thursday evening and were each granted $2,000 bail each.
They are due to reappear in court on July 28.
Police spokesman Col. Vishnu Naidoo told The Associated Press that 122 World Cup tickets had been seized, some in the pair's possession and some in their hotel rooms.
Naidoo also said police confiscated laptops and cell phones.
``The only people who are allowed to be selling World Cup tickets are Match,'' Naidoo said, referring to FIFA's official ticketing agent.
Police said the pair were allegedly associated with a company called the Marcus Evans Group, trading under the name THG International which is a subsidiary.
Naidoo stressed police were currently investigating the pair as individuals and not the company.
A Marcus Evans spokesman confirmed that Sorenson was an employee and Evans was a former employee, but said the company only provides food, drink and entertainment to customers.
``Our corporate hospitality guests have to take responsibility for their own World Cup tickets,'' spokesman Richard Constant said.
THG calls itself the ``the largest corporate hospitality business in the world.''
According to its website, THG was founded in 1983 and provides corporate hospitality at sports events to ``a majority of the Fortune 500 companies.''
The Fortune 500 lists the United States' biggest corporations.
