Huge shortage of tickets: football fans return with gloomy face; KDSA fails to provide tickets

KOKRAJHAR: Thousands of football fans who have been waiting for ticket in long queues in front of Kokrajhar District Sports Association (KDSA) had to return with gloomy face as they will not be able to enjoy the opening ceremony of the 132nd Durand Cup tomorrow here at SAI Stadium. Many football fans expressed their anguish over the organizers for its failure to provide adequate accommodations and many of them demanded that every individual should be allowed to enter the opening ceremony though seating capacity is exceeded.

Thousands of football fans were seen thronging across the KDSA premises with great curiosity for a ticket from 11 am but over half of the people did not get the ticket. According to KDSA officials, there were only 3,000 tickets in the counter which was not possible to cover even 25 per cent of people in queue. Similar reports were received in Chirang, Baksa and Udalguri District Sports Offices.

A football fan of Kukurmari, Chirang Alongbar Mushahary told this correspondent that he communicated the DSO office and even district committee, ABSU office for ticket but failed to get it and with great eagerness, he rushed to Kokrajhar District Sport Association (KDSA)and waiting for three hours in the queue but suddenly heard that the ticket came shortage and counter is to be closed. He said he was just one of several thousands football fans who had to return with distress. He also said since Kokrajhar is the centre of football fans, there should have been a large and standard football stadium in Kokrajhar.

Another football fan of Kokrajhar Rongjalu Brahma said that he was in communication with KDSA assistant well ahead of issuing tickets but a single ticket could not be possible for him due to overcrowded ticket chasers. Though he had been in the queue right from 11 am, he failed to get the ticket and finally returned home with grief. He also demanded that there must be a large football stadium with accommodation of at least 60,000 seating capacity. He questioned as to why the government of India and government of Assam was still failing to sanction a football stadium although they are aware of Kokrajhar as a breeding ground of footballers with maximum football fans in the northeast region.

It is to be mentioned that the SAI Stadium in Kokrajhar has got new iron galleries around the field which was inaugurated by CEM of BTC Pramod Boro on Thursday. The seating capacity of galleries at SAI-Kokrajhar is just 12,000 approx. while football lovers are huge. The organizers in BTC have vast experience of its failure to provide accommodation in 1st Inter 6th Schedule Premier League (ISPL) and 76th National Hero Santosh Trophy held earlier in 2022 where maximum spectators were forced to return due to lack of accommodation. The same situation is being repeated in the Durand Cup.

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