YEKATERINBURG: Russian fans took to social media on Saturday to demand why whole rows of prime pitch-side seats were empty during the World Cup match between Egypt and Uruguay, while locals had to pay nearly a third of an average monthly salary for a poorer view.
The official attendance for Friday’s game at Ekaterinburg Arena was just 27,015, according to FIFA, at a stadium which has had its capacity expanded to 33,061 with the unusual addition of temporary external stands behind each goal.
The thousands of empty bright-orange seats were embarrassingly conspicuous to fans all over the world watching TV coverage of the second game in soccer’s premier event.
“I was a bit upset to see empty seats but I don’t have control over this, or the necessary information. It’s our FIFA partners who deal with tickets,” regional governor Yevgeny Kuyvashev said on Instagram.
A spokesman for soccer’s governing body said: “FIFA has looked into this and we can confirm that the matter related to the match in Ekaterinburg was mainly linked to ‘no-shows’ from all constituent groups. There were no problems with FIFA’s ticketing operations on-site that would have prevented ticket holders from attending the match and, as already mentioned, 32,278 tickets had been allocated.”
’Constituent groups’ includes member associations and sponsors, as well as the general public.
Olga Kotlyarova, a former Russian athlete who works in the information department of the city administration, wrote on Facebook that many of the empty seats belonged to VIP guests who had decided to watch from an indoor lounge because the weather was cold.
There was no shortage of scathing comments from locals.
One man, Vlad Chekhomov, posted on social media: “My friend was sitting in the top rows of the main stand, right under the roof, for 12,600 roubles ($200). He would have been better off outside.”
The average monthly salary in Yekaterinburg is about 40,000 roubles, and a typical pension around 12,000.
A Russian fan, Viktor Smirnov, complained on social media he had ended up in the outside stands despite originally buying what he thought was a pitch-side seat, and said the unfilled seats on the day were a scandal “on an international scale.”
Another, Yevgeny Strugov, said he had bought a seat that turned out not to exist, and twice had to persuade police to let him through. “They were trying to accuse me of forging my ticket,” he said.
The FIFA spokesman said he could not comment without knowing the case, but there were clearance areas at every stadium where any ticket problems could be resolved. ($1 = 63.1309 roubles)
Fans rage on social media over empty seats at World Cup
Fans rage on social media over empty seats at World Cup
- Whole rows of prime pitch-side seats were empty during the World Cup match between Egypt and Uruguay
- The official attendance for Friday’s game at Ekaterinburg Arena was just 27,015, according to FIFA
ICC rejects Bangladesh demand to shift T20 World Cup matches outside India
- Bangladesh had refused to tour India, demanded to play World Cup matches in Sri Lanka
- Tensions surged after Bangladesh cricket star was dropped from Indian Premier League
NEW DELHI: The International Cricket Council on Wednesday rejected Bangladesh’s demand to shift their matches at next month’s Twenty20 World Cup outside India, dismissing any security threat to the team following political tensions between the South Asian neighbors.
Uncertainty loomed over the global showpiece after Bangladesh refused to tour India and demanded to play their matches in Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting the tournament.
The stalemate prompted an emergency ICC board meeting in which the governing body decided against tinkering with the tournament schedule.
“The decision was taken after considering all security assessments conducted, including independent reviews, all of which indicated there was no threat to Bangladesh players, media persons, officials and fans at any of the tournament venues in India,” the ICC said in a statement.
“The ICC board noted that it was not feasible to make changes so close to the tournament and that altering the schedule under the circumstances, in the absence of any credible security threat, could set a precedent that would jeopardize the sanctity of future ICC events...”
It leaves Bangladesh with the options of either changing their stance or getting replaced in the 20-team tournament beginning on Feb. 7.
Political relations have soured between the neighbors in recent times and Bangladesh player Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) despite him signing for its Kolkata franchise.
Bangladesh responded by refusing to tour India and banning broadcasts of the IPL in the country.
An ICC delegation arrived in Dhaka last weekend to find a solution but the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) stuck to its guns.
“Despite these efforts, the BCB maintained its position, repeatedly linking its participation in the tournament to a single, isolated and unrelated development concerning one of its players’ involvement in a domestic league,” the ICC said alluding to Mustafizur’s IPL snub.
“This linkage has no bearing on the tournament’s security framework or the conditions governing participation in the T20 World Cup.”
Pakistan will play their World Cup matches in Sri Lanka in keeping with their policy of not touring India over geopolitical tension between the neighbors.
