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Empty Stands Greet Vini Jr and Brazil in Kolkata Friendly
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News18•03-10-2026, 20:30
Empty Stands Greet Vini Jr and Brazil in Kolkata Friendly
- •Vinicius Jr and Brazil played to a subdued crowd at Salt Lake Stadium, with many empty seats for India's historic friendly.
- •Attendance was initially below 30,000, a stark contrast to the usual packed stands for Kolkata derbies and Lionel Messi's visit.
- •High ticket prices, ranging from Rs 3,500 to Rs 6,000, and the ongoing Durga Puja festivities were cited as key reasons for the poor turnout.
- •Football clubs like Mohun Bagan and East Bengal struggled to sell their allocated tickets, with very low uptake despite discounts.
- •Concerns are rising for the upcoming India-Uruguay friendly, as ticket sales for that match have also been negatively impacted.
Key Questions Answered
A subdued response and empty seats at kick-off were largely attributed to high ticket prices ranging from Rs 3,500 to Rs 6,000 and the build-up to the Durga Puja festival season, which caused fans to stay away from heavy spending.
Local clubs struggled heavily with sales; Mohun Bagan sold only 90 out of its 6,000 allocated tickets, East Bengal received requests for just 400 out of 4,000, and the IFA received merely 24 requests from its affiliated units for its 2,000 tickets.
Following the match against Brazil, India is scheduled to play another international friendly against Uruguay on Tuesday, October 6, raising concerns over whether sales and attendance will improve.
