RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Copa America organizers said Tuesday they believe the tournament in Brazil is running smoothly despite a large number of empty seats and criticism from players about the state of soccer fields. Tournament executives said they expect attendances to rise to more than 30,000 fans a match in the knockout stage that begins on Thursday. The Copa America opener between Brazil and Bolivia on June 14 had gate receipts of around $5.7 million, and Uruguay's 1-0 win over Chile on Monday at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro had more than 58,000 fans. But empty seats have marred the tournament, a problem evident Monday night in Belo Horizonte when about 2,100 fans paid to watch Japan and Ecuador draw 1-1 though around 7,600 supporters watched the same game for free. Agberto Guimaraes, director of operations for Copa America, says the organizing committee sees no trouble in some matches having more appeal than others. "We are taking care of the whole, and on the whole we are on the positive side," Guimaraes said. Thiago Jannuzzi, general manager of the organizing committee, insisted the policy for setting ticket prices was correct. "There is a balance between what one can charge and the costs of the event," Jannuzzi said.Read more on NewsOK.com