KOCHI: This could happen only in a football crazy state like Kerala (maybe West Bengal as well?). In a first, the Kerala State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC) no less has been approached over the alleged touting of tickets for this season’s inaugural Indian Super League (ISL) match on November 17.
Following local football fans’ discontent with the non availability of tickets to the match and the allegation that ISL organisers “were trying to loot football fans by reselling tickets in the black market”, a municipal corporation councillor in Kochi is seeking the intervention of the KSHRC.
Councillor Thampi Subramaniyam told the New Indian Express that he approached the commission after fans were told there are no tickets on sale, though counters were set up outside the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kaloor. “All the tickets except VIP tickets were sold out; not a single ticket was sold through the open counters. We suspect the organisers are deliberately trying to sell tickets on the black market by hoarding all the tickets,” reads the petition sent to the commission. The ISL organisers, chief secretary and district collector have been made respondents in the petition.
Thampi’s petition alleged that while the ISL organisers said ticket sales would be initiated through counters, they later said all tickets, except VIP ones, were sold out. He added the agents are selling the tickets at a higher price. “They are charging over five times the actual price of a normal ticket. Those who are not familiar with online ticketing are forced to depend on the black market. This is a pure case of human rights violation,” Thampi said in his petition.
“The Human Rights Commission should intervene in the issue to restart the sale of the tickets. The Commission should also intervene to stop tickets being sold solely online. This would be a great relief to football fans in Kerala.”
An ISL spokesperson told the publication that the sole responsibility of selling tickets was vested with Kerala Blasters and not with the ISL. “The sale of tickets in Kochi is vested with the home team, Kerala Blasters. ISL is not selling the tickets. If a letter comes to my side, obviously I will give the same response,” Leeladhar Singh, spokesperson for IMG-Reliance told the New Indian Express.
