The Kochi Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, as usual, was packed with Kerala Blasters fans when their team defeated NorthEast United to qualify for the semi-finals on Sunday. However, it has been reported that thousands of fans with tickets were denied entry into the stadium because it was full. This issue has raised some serious questions among the fans.
According to reports, more than 5000 fans were waiting outside during the game and 1500 ticket-holders were given refunds. Many of the fans, who were denied entry, had complimentary tickets with them and hence didn't receive any refunds.
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The official attendance at the stadium on Sunday, according to the Indian Super League, was 53,767. However, sources say that only about 30,000 tickets were sold. It is also said that about 17,000 complimentary tickets were given away. So, the total tickets sold or given complimentary were around 47,000 and that number doesn't tally with official attendance count.
The stadium's maximum capacity for ISL games is 55,000 and the attendance on Sunday was about 54,000, but we know that only 47,000 tickets were distributed. Also, many of the fans with tickets couldn't enter the stadium because it was full. The difference between the two figures is too high, which could only mean that thousands of the fans had entered into the stadium without any tickets.
Sportskeeda was able to catch-up with Mishal Thanveer, a fan who was at the stadium on that night. Even though he managed to get into the stadium, he says that it was only after a big struggle that he could get in. He said that his friends and him joined the long queue at the gate, but before long, things went out of control. The fans created chaos and there was a lot of pushing and pulling, with the gate getting destroyed due to the rush created by the fans.
"Felt like a fish caught in a tsunami; although we had tickets, the final rush to get into the stadium meant the security couldn't control the crowd as they forced their way in. Nice to see the passion, but need to be wary of security issues", Mishal said.
The ticket sale issue was only one of the two disappointing fan-related incident that happened on the night. While this one took place outside the stadium, the other one took place inside the stadium. It all started when a Kerala Blasters fan decided to get onto the pitch and 'meet' his heroes. He was quickly taken away by the police inside the stadium, but this action resulted in a bigger problem.
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The other supporters at the stand, where the fan who ran onto the pitch was sitting, broke chairs and threw them onto the ground and water bottles were also thrown. Again, the police had to take action against these supporters and lathicharged fans.
The Kerala Blasters fan support is a very positive thing for Indian football, but such incidents do no favour. The ISL finals are set to be held in Kochi and after Sunday's incidents, ISL organisers would hope that the security at the stadium is bettered.
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