If this scam is on, it needs to be nipped in the bud very quickly and uprooted comprehensively, so that there is no repeat
Wankhede stadium. Pic/PTI
This newspaper reported about cricket fans hanging around outside the Wankhede stadium. While that was expected with the high-stakes India vs New Zealand semi-final on, what was surprising was the number of people clamouring for tickets, saying that they were being sold in black.
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Many tickets were being offered at 10 times the original price, and these young men and some women were in tears as they just could not fork out these sums. One had to feel for them, as they claimed tickets were sold out in an hour or two as booking opened, and many of them claimed they could not get then online at all, or offline, too.
There was a time when one would have fans lining up for tickets at the Wankhede window, all classes of people managing to bag the tickets. At that time, there was some black, too, but not the extent that it is now with ticket prices reaching dizzying heights.
The cricket administrators need to be there, not in air-conditioned stands but on the streets seeing first hand why tickets are being sold like this in black and if there is merit to claims that tickets were eight and 10 times the rate. They should have at least conducted a sting to verify where the rot starts from, or at least have their own persons checking this.
If this scam is on, it needs to be nipped in the bud very quickly and uprooted comprehensively, so that there is no repeat.
The disappointed young people claimed this has become a game for the rich and influential and celebrities, while passionate fans were left on the sidelines. Some of this may be exaggeration borne out of anguish, and yet, there is no doubt there was some truth in these statements.
Clean up the ticketing process, make it fair, transparent and make the game accessible. You cannot afford to lose your passionate, cricket crazy fans.
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