TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Angry soccer fans torched hoardings and damaged barricades outside the Nehru Stadium, Fatorda as their protest over the ticket fiasco for the December 17 semi final tie between FC Goa and Atletica de Kolkatta took a violent turn on Sunday morning.
The fans gave vent to their ire by damaging the barricades when the ticket counters did not open for sale at the scheduled time at 10 am. They later set the hoardings displayed outside the stadium on fire before the fire brigade moved in control the damage.
Thousands of fans, many of whom had been in the queue since midnight, were an agitated lot when they found the ticket counters still closed at 10 am despite announcements by the organisers that tickets will be on sale for two days on Saturday and Sunday. As there were no representative of the organisers nor police or district officials around and no one around to attend to their grievances, the crowd turned restive and first damaged the barricade erected at the ticket counter and later made a bonfire of the hoardings. It was only after the mob set the hoardings on fire that a police control van made its presence at the venue, followed by a fire tender which later extinguished the fire.
Curtorim legislator Regianaldo Lourenco, who was passing by the stadium, joined the fans in protesting over the failure of the organisers and demanded transparency in the sale of tickets.
Angry fans directed their ire at the organisers, demanding a statement on the sale of tickets at the counter and on-line. As they cried foul over the sale of tickets and alleged a huge scam, they demanded an inquiry into the ticket transactions.
The organisers were indeed caught on the wrong foot on Sunday as they failed to make the necessary arrangements to inform the fans that the tickets were sold out on Saturday itself. Questions remained unanswered as why the organisers did not make prior announcement of sold out tickets in the media or sought police protection at the venue in the morning.
Many of the fans said they have been camping outside the ticket counters since midnight while others joined the queue in the wee hours, only to find the ticket counter closed at 10 am. “Many of us would not have taken the trouble to sleep outside the counter since midnight if there was a prior announcement of sold out tickets. We would also want the organisers to come out with a statement and a break up of the sale of tickets, both at the counter and on-line”, demanded a fan.
