Considering the fact that the World Cup tournament only happens every four years, fans of one of the biggest sport event in the world would naturally succumb to any means necessary to secure tickets to see matches of their favorite teams. For the others who are not fortunate, they are willing to break a few laws, risk getting jailed, and even get broke, all for the sake of the World Cup, Hindustan Times said.
21 year-old Igor Guerra had held a sign near Rio de Janeiro's Maracana stadium late Sunday saying "I buy tickets" in three languages. Although he is aware of the fact that he is encouraging an illegal venture, he somewhat dismisses the fact that FIFA frowns about scalping by saying that he himself does not like a lot of things the world soccer organization has been doing either.
Hindustan Times said FIFA has amped up measures to discontinue the practice of reselling tickets, as they can only be purchased through an official online platform, are non-transferable and bear the buyer's name. However, checking the identities of the owners of the tickets in all twelve stadiums is a statistical nightmare that it is not being done in actuality.
A group of anonymous Argentinians were able to convince the staff of a five-star hotel that they were the official representatives of an international company with commercial links to FIFA. The group were exposed as frauds when staff noticed their footwear. By then, the group had received VIP tickets to Thursday's opener, the Brazil-Croatia match, and several other special amenities.
While showing a photo of the 2002 Brazil World Cup Winner on his mobile phone, he said, "There was sushi, champagne. And Ronaldo 'Phenomenon' was there. Not even Maradona could get in."
Hindustan Times also recounted an episode wherein a group of 30 fans wearing the colors of the Argentina National team had jumped a stadium wall and crashed through a gate in order to flood into a restricted area. Nine of the group were subsequently arrested, presented before a judge, but were released.
Scalpers were also prominent outside in all of the twelve stadiums, the Indian paper said. Three Britons and a Frenchman were arrested near the stadium, with police seizing $6,000 and 14 tickets.
Although the high price was ridiculous for a ticket, Chilean fan Carla Jimenez mostly summed up why a fan would be willing to overlooked this matter. "They are very expensive. But it doesn't matter. I want to get one. It's my life dream to see my team at the World Cup."
