Bangalore:
International Cricket Council (ICC) CEO Haroon Lorgat has termed Thursday's lathicharge incident at Bangalore's Chinnaswamy stadium as "unfortunate."
"Scenes outside the Chinnaswamy stadium were unfortunate. The ICC is trying to sort out the ticketing issue with the BCCI. We wrote a letter to Pawar because we wanted him to intervene ," he said addressing a press conference in Bangalore.
Earlier this week, the ICC had written an angry letter to Sharad Pawar, who is the Chairman of the World Cup Central Organising Committee, asking him to sort out the 'ticketing mess' as soon as possible. The ICC had also pointed out that with tickets in very short supply, box office sales could turn into a security nightmare. (Read: Pawar gets angry letter from ICC over World Cup tickets)
On Thursday, police lathicharged frenzied cricket fans at the Chinnaswamy stadium as chaos broke out during the sale of tickets for the keenly awaited February 27 World Cup match between India and England, exemplifying another instance of ticketing mess. (Watch)
Nearly 25,000 cricket fans had queued up since morning outside the stadium to buy tickets which went on sale on Wednesday, but chaos prevailed as a section of them tried to break the cordon when the counter opened a little late.
"...Those who were trying to break the line and create trouble were immediately chased away through mild lathicharge and order was restored", Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Division) G Ramesh told PTI.
"All tickets have been sold out and the situation is under control now," he added.
Karnataka State Cricket Association secretary and former India pacer Javagal Srinath said about 6000 tickets have been sold at the gate. (Watch: 'We cannot meet people's expectations')
"Mad rush is expected for any good match. A lot of people desire to watch the match," he said seeking to downplay the ticketing chaos and confusion.
Srinath said they were waiting for "tickets to come back" from ICC (International Cricket Council) and BCCI.
"If they come back, the only way we can give the public is through net, through Kyazoonga, the official ticketing partner for the event."
He said it was always difficult to satisfy everyone's needs ahead of such high-voltage clashes, but added "We are trying to cover as much as possible. But for a match of this magnitude, even if you double (the capacity) or triple, it's not enough."
The Cricket Board and KSCA meanwhile said the stadium capacity is limited and the ICC's demand for tickets has to be accommodated.
"The biggest challenge we are facing now is trying to meet the expectations of people and that's not possible. There is a limit till where we can keep people happy. Beyond that unhappy people will always say things which we can't answer," Srinath said.
KSCA president Anil Kumble refused to speak on the issue, saying Srinath had addressed a press conference.
The proportion of tickets available to the general public has always been 20 percent or less of the total capacity in stadiums in India. It has been further reduced during the World Cup because a large number of tickets have been reserved for the ICC sponsors.
"Scenes outside the Chinnaswamy stadium were unfortunate. The ICC is trying to sort out the ticketing issue with the BCCI. We wrote a letter to Pawar because we wanted him to intervene ," he said addressing a press conference in Bangalore.
Earlier this week, the ICC had written an angry letter to Sharad Pawar, who is the Chairman of the World Cup Central Organising Committee, asking him to sort out the 'ticketing mess' as soon as possible. The ICC had also pointed out that with tickets in very short supply, box office sales could turn into a security nightmare. (Read: Pawar gets angry letter from ICC over World Cup tickets)
On Thursday, police lathicharged frenzied cricket fans at the Chinnaswamy stadium as chaos broke out during the sale of tickets for the keenly awaited February 27 World Cup match between India and England, exemplifying another instance of ticketing mess. (Watch)
Nearly 25,000 cricket fans had queued up since morning outside the stadium to buy tickets which went on sale on Wednesday, but chaos prevailed as a section of them tried to break the cordon when the counter opened a little late.
"...Those who were trying to break the line and create trouble were immediately chased away through mild lathicharge and order was restored", Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Division) G Ramesh told PTI.
"All tickets have been sold out and the situation is under control now," he added.
Karnataka State Cricket Association secretary and former India pacer Javagal Srinath said about 6000 tickets have been sold at the gate. (Watch: 'We cannot meet people's expectations')
"Mad rush is expected for any good match. A lot of people desire to watch the match," he said seeking to downplay the ticketing chaos and confusion.
Srinath said they were waiting for "tickets to come back" from ICC (International Cricket Council) and BCCI.
"If they come back, the only way we can give the public is through net, through Kyazoonga, the official ticketing partner for the event."
He said it was always difficult to satisfy everyone's needs ahead of such high-voltage clashes, but added "We are trying to cover as much as possible. But for a match of this magnitude, even if you double (the capacity) or triple, it's not enough."
The Cricket Board and KSCA meanwhile said the stadium capacity is limited and the ICC's demand for tickets has to be accommodated.
"The biggest challenge we are facing now is trying to meet the expectations of people and that's not possible. There is a limit till where we can keep people happy. Beyond that unhappy people will always say things which we can't answer," Srinath said.
KSCA president Anil Kumble refused to speak on the issue, saying Srinath had addressed a press conference.
The proportion of tickets available to the general public has always been 20 percent or less of the total capacity in stadiums in India. It has been further reduced during the World Cup because a large number of tickets have been reserved for the ICC sponsors.
- Of the 37,500 tickets in Bangalore, 7,500 are reserved for the ICC and its sponsors
- 7,000 tickets were available at the stadium counter
- An additional 10,000 tickets go to the Karnataka State Cricket Association members
- 5,000 tickets to make up for Kolkata quota, which applies to tickets sold for the match when it was originally scheduled in Eden Gardens
- 700 tickets for BCCI's various associations
- 7,300 tickets for VVIPs which includes state government and civic agencies (With PTI inputs)
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