President and CEO of NJ Transit Kris Kolluri shot back this afternoon at an "unnamed transportation official" quoted in an NJ.com story and the assertion of semi-freak-out mode over depressed ticket sales ahead of the World Cup.

"NJ Transit along with all transportation nodes are working toward next Saturday," Kolluri told InsiderNJ - "and this is not an 'unnamed transportation official.'"

It's not over till it's over, he noted, quoting a New Jerseyan from another sport.

The quote Kolluri referred to was this:

“There should be concern. We’re 11 days out and if the transportation plan doesn’t work it will be another disaster. It will make the Super Bowl look like a tea party by comparison."

The transit chief added in a conversation with InsiderNJ, "It's easy to say they should subsidize. Either put up or shut up."

By way of context, 75% of those people traveling ahead of Super Bowl XLVIII did not purchase their tickets until immediately prior to game day, when they were already in their hotel rooms and unpacked. The panic-stricken storyline arises more from a small cadre of pearl-clutching critics than the general public, said a source close to the action.