The third edition of the Indian Super League (ISL) is just a week away and fans in Guwahati and across the NorthEast are fuming over the availability of tickets for the opening ceremony and match on the 1st of October.
Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati, the home ground of NorthEast United FC, is slated to host the opening ceremony of the coveted league and is expected to be attended by celebrities and high profile guests.
So naturally, the football crazy crowd of the region are very enthusiastic and eagerly waiting for the first of October.
But a sense of anxiety gripped certain football fans from the North East when no information was given about the availability of tickets being released for the general public. With just a week to go for the start of the ISL, fans of NorthEast United aired their complaints on the official Facebook page of NorthEast United about the availability of tickets.
Some even hinted that tickets would be sold in the black market, which is reported to have happened in the past two editions. The craze for football is immense in the region. At a time when stadiums in certain parts of India struggle to fill seats, in Guwahati, attendance in the stadiums usually tend to go beyond capacity.
NorthEast United Fans, a fan page of the team also expressed concern about the nonavailability of tickets and also said that the club haven’t revealed anything about the opening ceremony tickets.
“We are really excited about the ISL opening this year, It is even better because we are hosting it. But without the tickets we can’t plan anything. We want to help our club hosting this mega event, but there is a lack of initiative from the club.”
“We feel the club should involve the fans more. Northeast has the most passionate fan base in ISL and club should leverage on that,” said Rajnish Kashyap who runs the Fan page and a fan website.
However, when Sportskeeda contacted the club, we were informed that arrangements are being made to release the tickets online by the 26th of September. John Abraham, the owner of NEUFC, announced the same during the kit launch event in Guwahati.
There is yet to be any official release or notification about the sale of tickets.
