Fans came armed for the long wait with foldable chairs and snacks. - ST
SINGAPORE: More than sixteen hours before the ticketing office at Jalan Besar Stadium opened its doors on Dec 22, Sheila Gustarisha and her son were already in line to get their hands on tickets to the Singapore-Vietnam clash.
In a scene reminiscent of Singapore’s football fever days – in the 1970s to 1990s, early 2000s and 2010s – snaking queues were seen around the stadium on Dec 22, when tickets to the Asean Championship semi-final, first-leg clash between the hosts and Vietnam on Dec 26 went on sale.
A total of 5,375 tickets were sold out by 6.20pm, with scalpers attempting to resell them on online platforms soon after.
Snaking queues were seen around the Jalan Besar Stadium on Dec 22, when tickets to the Asean Championship semi-final, first-leg clash between the hosts and Vietnam on Dec 26 went on sale. - ST
The first two fans in line, Gustarisha and her 24-year-old son Qash Adam Ng, began queueing at 7.30pm on Dec 21. Others came armed for the long wait with foldable chairs and snacks.
Gustarisha, 43, said: “We expected people to queue early when they announced details of the ticket sales.”
Ng added: “So, we came extra early as we are die-hard fans and we want to support Singapore and see them win.”
Qash Adam Ng (second from left) and his mother Sheila Gustarisha receiving their match tickets from Lions skipper Hariss Harun on Dec 22. - ST
Earlier in the group stage, the Lions played at the 55,000-seater National Stadium, beating Cambodia 2-1 in front of 12,391 fans on Dec 11, and losing 4-2 to Thailand on Dec 17 before 22,611 fans.
In their away games, they beat Timor-Leste 3-0 in Hanoi, Vietnam on Dec 14, and sealed qualification for the two-legged semi-finals when they held Malaysia 0-0 at Bukit Jalil National Stadium on Dec 20.
However, the Lions will play the first leg of their semi-finals against Vietnam at the 6,000-seater Jalan Besar Stadium on Dec 26. A late schedule change meant the National Stadium is unavailable for the game and the rest of the tournament, having already been booked for concerts in this period.
The second leg will be held in the Viet Tri Stadium, which is 80km from Hanoi, on Dec 29.
To ensure that only Singapore fans would be able to secure tickets to the home fan section, tickets were available for purchase only at Jalan Besar and proof of identity was required.
They were priced at S$49, $35 and $24 for Category 1, 2 and 3 respectively. Sales started at noon on Dec 22 and each person was limited to four tickets per transaction.
Those in line also got a surprise from Lions skipper Hariss Harun, who turned up on the team’s day off to present the first 10 fans in the queue each with four Category 1 tickets, paid out of his own pocket.
Noting that they are “nothing without the fans”, the 34-year-old said he wanted to thank those who had queued in the heat.
“Let’s rock the Jalan Besar Stadium together against Vietnam,” he added.
First 10 fans each received four category one tickets from Singapore?s Hariss Harun (far right) on Dec 22 ahead of Singapore's home leg of the Asean Cup semi-finals against Vietnam on Dec 26.
Ticket sales open at Jalan Besar Stadium at noon on Dec 22.
Away fans are allowed to buy only $38 tickets in the 250-seater away section on match day from 3pm. The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) said that match organisers reserve the right to deny entry to away fans holding home section tickets, and to eject away fans seated in the home section.
With the strong demand for tickets, scalpers are reselling home section tickets online for up to four times the price – Category 1 tickets priced originally at $49 are going for upwards of $200.
The FAS said in a statement that it is aware of members of the public selling tickets to the game, noting that it “cannot guarantee the authenticity of tickets resold on social media and/or online shopping platforms”.
The FAS added that resold tickets may be invalid or counterfeit and as a result, those who purchase them may be denied entry to the stadium.
“In addition, we also urge away fans not to purchase from resellers as you may be denied entry into the stadium or be ejected from the venue if you are found to be seated in the sections reserved for home fans. Away fans are only allowed in the designated away section,” said its spokesperson. - The Straits Times/ANN
