GUWAHATI: A former I-League Second Division player has alleged that a few volunteers at the Guwahati centre have been illegally selling their complimentary match passes. The player in question wanted to watch matches on the second day at the Indira Gandhi Athletics Stadium — France vs Japan and New Caledonia vs Honduras — but was left frustrated.
The official ticketing website had a 'SOLD OUT' sign next to the four categories of tickets (North Level 1, South Level 1, East Level 1 and West Level 2) made available at this venue. So he approached a volunteer outside the stadium and asked where he could get tickets. This volunteer made an offer.
"You can take my complimentary tickets for around Rs 1000 bucks as all the tickets have been sold out." Both of them haggled for a bit before the former player went home with 'two tickets for Rs 1500'. All volunteers have been given complimentary passes.
Express cannot vouch for the authenticity of the allegations but the Local Organising Committee (LOC) has been notified about the issue.
"This is the first time that anyone has mentioned anything regarding this," an LOC source said.
"The LOC takes the matter very seriously and it's absolutely unacceptable. We will get the police to look into it immediately. Thanks for bringing this to our notice."
The player in question considered going to police officers posted outside the stadium but did not notify them in the end.
"I thought if I brought it to their attention I will have to forego those passes as well." The venue manager could not be reached.
Guwahati has not had that great a World Cup in terms of attendance when compared to others. The 22,000-odd capacity stadium's official numbers of around 12,500 for the first two days puts it well below the other venues. The venue will host five more matches, including one of the semifinals on October 25.