Chinese football fans will have to pay almost 630 euros to watch Argentine world champion Lionel Messi play in Beijing on June 15 in a friendly match between Albi Celeste and Australia.
This meeting in Beijing against Australia, whom Argentina beat 2-1 in the round of 16 of the World Cup in Qatar, represents a big comeback for international football in China after three years of strict medical restrictions that have emptied stadiums and led to cancellation of a number of sporting events.
The match will take place at the recently renovated Rabochiye Stadium with a capacity of 68,000 spectators.
The organizers said tickets, which will be sold in two stages on June 5 and 8, will cost between 580 yuan (76 euros) and 4,800 yuan.
To avoid illegal resale, buyers must present an ID card, which will be verified upon entering the stadium.
According to the organizers, “the transfer of tickets or copies is not allowed.”
But on China’s most popular online sales platform, Taobao, many sellers have already offered ticketing services, and one of them asked for 18,000 yuan (approximately 2,400 euros) for booking VIP seats.
Fans have strongly criticized Friday’s ticket price increase on the Weibo social media platform.
One of them wrote, commenting on the official account of the organizers, “I will catch you for stealing,” while another asked sarcastically, “For 4,800 yuan, Messi will carry us on his back during the game?”
Source: AFP.
