SHILLONG: The much-anticipated Durand Cup semi-final between Northeast United FC and Shillong Lajong FC has ignited immense excitement across Meghalaya.
Fans flocked to the capital from across the state to secure tickets for the highly-anticipated Northeast derby.
Due to overwhelming demand, all tickets for the Durand Cup semi-final clash on August 26 at JN Stadium sold out within hours of release, both online and offline.
The ticket sales for the Durand Cup semi-final kicked off on Saturday amidst heavy rain in Shillong.
Fans queued up for hours at the three initial ticket counters at Polo, Cafe Shillong, and Khyndai Lad.
To alleviate the congestion, an additional counter was opened at U Soso Tham Auditorium around 5 PM. However, by then, many fans had already been waiting in line for several hours.
The 15,000-seat stadium is expected to be at full capacity for the match.
The state government has announced the creation of fan parks across Shillong and district headquarters to accommodate the large number of football fans.
These venues will broadcast the match live and feature performances by local musicians from the Meghalaya Grassroots Music Programme, as well as food stalls to provide a stadium-like experience.
Six fan parks will be set up in key locations, including Mawlai Madan Heh Stadium, RV Lyngdoh parking lot, Malki Ground, Umpling Maw-arling, Laitumkhrah Police Point Parking lot, and NEHU campus.
Online ticket holders can redeem their tickets at U Soso Tham Auditorium starting at 10 am on August 25.
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The state government plans to release further announcements concerning match-day travel and other relevant information.
The organizers introduced hologram-embedded tickets for this event, as there had been previous instances of counterfeit tickets being circulated at the venue.
The organizing committee stated that in response to overwhelming requests from supporters of both the teams and the venue’s significance, the committee had decided to relocate the semifinal match between Northeast United FC and Shillong Lajong FC to Shillong and reschedule it one day later.
The committee, however, reassured that despite the change in one semifinal, the rest of the tournament’s schedule, including the other semifinal and the final at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, will remain unchanged.
