Aticket at nearly ₹1,800 less than what it actually was. That is how sharply things have changed for the India vs Uruguay international friendly in Kolkata on October 6th.
Notably, tickets for selected sections of the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan, which were being sold at ₹1,999 till Sunday morning, will now be available at ₹199.
The Indian Football Federation announced the revised prices on Sunday via its social media channels. The C2 Left and C2 Right blocks are now available at a much lower rate. This could be seen as a decision to encourage more people to come to the venue and watch the match. Interestingly, India played Brazil at the same venue on October 3, and the stadium was not filled.
Reportedly, attendance at the Brazil match was slightly over 51,000, while the stadium has a capacity of around 85,000. There was no absence of star power, with players like Vinicius Jr., Gabriel Magalhaes and Marquinhos taking the field for the visiting team.
There were discussions about ticket pricing even before the Brazil game, and now the organisers have decided to make a major correction. Uruguay come with their own history, being the two-time champions of the FIFA World Cup. But spectators will be able to watch the game, with tickets available at nearly one-tenth the price of the Brazil match. This will also be India’s final game in the current run of international friendlies. The stretch started with India playing Panama in Bengaluru, before the caravan moved to Kolkata, where they faced Brazil and will now be playing the team coached by Diego Forlan.
Free tickets for Messi spectators
The venue in Kolkata witnessed an unfortunate event last year when Lionel Messi came for his G.O.A.T. tour. The organisers have decided to allow free entry to the 22,000 spectators who were affected during the event.
Suvendu Adhikari, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, announced that those who bought tickets for the Messi event but could not watch the Argentine great properly would be given free passes for the Uruguay match. The sports minister of West Bengal, Dr Indranil Khan, later confirmed the process for collecting the same.
Notably, viewers who bought tickets for last year’s December 13 event can collect their passes on October 5 from 11 am to 5 pm. They need to produce the paid ticket for the Messi event along with a government-issued photo ID proof, such as an Aadhaar Card, Voter ID, driving licence, or passport.
So, with just about 36 hours left for the game, there is a big change in the ticketing picture for the India vs Uruguay match. A seat that was worth ₹1,999 on Sunday morning is now worth ₹199. For a city that has been in love with football and has always responded positively to big football nights, this could bring about a huge change to what the stands look like when India walk out to play against Uruguay.