The India vs Uruguay friendly at the Salt Lake stadium witnessed a surprisingly sparse crowd on Tuesday, despite organisers making a major push to bring fans to the venue.
The Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan had several empty seats across its lower, middle and upper tiers, with only around 15,000 spectators present at the time of kick-off. The subdued turnout was particularly noticeable in Kolkata, a city known for its strong football culture and packed stands during ISL and I-League matches.
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The All India Football Federation had reduced ticket prices for the Uruguay game by around 90% in some blocks after the muted response to India's 0-4 defeat to Brazil at the same venue. Tickets that had been priced at Rs 749 onwards were being offered for Rs 199. The organisers also distributed complimentary passes, including 22,000, to people who had purchased tickets for last year's ill-fated Lionel Messi tour of Kolkata.
Brazil Game Also Saw Empty Seats
The low turnout for the Uruguay match came just three days after India's high-profile friendly against Brazil at the same venue. Tickets for the Brazil game were priced between Rs 1,500 and Rs 25,000, a pricing strategy that attracted criticism. While the cheapest tickets were sold out, several seats in categories priced at Rs 3,500 and above remained unsold when the match began.
More than half of the stadium was empty at kick-off, although the crowd increased as the game progressed. The official attendance was later announced as 51,402 after complimentary passes were distributed during the match.
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(With PTI Inputs)
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