NEW DELHI: From a star-studded Brazil night that left thousands of seats empty to tickets costing just Rs 199, the India football friendly in Kolkata has seen a dramatic change in pricing within days.The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has slashed ticket prices for selected sections of the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium) ahead of India’s international friendly against two-time world champions Uruguay on Tuesday. Tickets for the C2 Left and C2 Right blocks, which were priced at Rs 1,999 until Sunday morning, are now available for just Rs 199 — a 90% reduction.The move comes just days after India-Brazil drew an attendance of 51,402 at the same venue on October 3. The figure was well short of the stadium’s reported capacity of around 85,000, leaving large sections of the stands unoccupied despite Brazil arriving with major stars including Vinicius Jr., Gabriel Magalhaes and Marquinhos.
From Rs 1,999 to Rs 199
The sharp reduction was announced by the AIFF through its social media channels on Sunday, with the revised rate applying to selected blocks for Tuesday’s Uruguay friendly. The price cut means fans can now watch a major South American side at almost one-tenth of the original price for those sections.The timing of the decision is particularly striking. Ticket pricing had already been a talking point in the build-up to the Brazil match, with the high cost cited as one factor behind the muted turnout.Brazil’s visit had generated enormous anticipation. The five-time world champions brought a star-studded squad to Kolkata, with Vinicius, Marquinhos and Gabriel Magalhaes among those who featured. Yet the Salt Lake Stadium was not close to a full house as Brazil defeated India 4-0.The reported attendance of 51,402 meant that more than 33,000 seats were unoccupied.The reduced Uruguay prices could therefore be seen as an attempt to put more supporters in the stands for India’s final friendly of the international window.
Uruguay offer another big attraction
The change does not come at the expense of the opposition’s pedigree.Uruguay are two-time FIFA World Cup champions and arrive in Kolkata for their first match in India after the hosts’ 0-4 defeat against Brazil. The fixture will also be India’s third and final friendly of this international window after the 1-1 draw against Panama in Bengaluru and the Brazil defeat in Kolkata.For India, the challenge is to quickly recover from the heavy loss against Brazil. Head coach Khalid Jamil will hope his side can reproduce the positive elements from the opening stages of that match, when India showed some promising combination play, defended with discipline and attempted to counterattack.Ryan Williams, who scored against Panama, remains one of India’s principal attacking outlets. His movement, along with Manvir Singh’s direct running and Sahal Abdul Samad’s combination play, gave India moments of promise against Brazil, even though they failed to convert their openings.Uruguay, ranked 20th in the world compared with India’s 138th, will provide another formidable test.
A chance to bring Kolkata back
The ticket-price intervention comes against the backdrop of Kolkata’s reputation as one of India’s biggest football centres.The Brazil match had been billed as a landmark occasion, but the attendance figure and visible empty sections raised questions about whether ticket pricing had been set too high for the market.The contrast for Tuesday’s game is stark. A ticket that cost Rs 1,999 on Sunday morning is now available for Rs 199 in selected sections.There is also a separate initiative involving supporters who attended last year’s Lionel Messi event in Kolkata but were unable to properly watch it amid the chaos surrounding the occasion. The West Bengal government has announced complimentary tickets for around 22,000 such spectators for the Uruguay match.Whether the combination of dramatically lower prices and additional complimentary tickets can produce a much fuller Salt Lake Stadium remains to be seen.But the message from the organisers is unmistakable: after the empty seats that greeted Brazil, they are making a major attempt to put the fans back in the stands for Uruguay.
