All 60,000 tickets available for the high-voltage face-off have been accounted for, said the organizers. While a section of Mohun Bagan fans went to the extent of blocking the road after being informed that tickets were unavailable on Friday, Maidan veterans say that 38,000 online tickets were sold in a jiffy.
Of the remaining 22,000 distributed through the clubs, Maidan saw fans literally begging for tickets. East Bengal went to the extent of seeking 13,000-odd tickets on Saturday, strictly telling fans that one ticket will be issued per head.
Paresh Maity, a resident of Amherst Street who was one of those who blocked traffic on Friday, seemed pretty decided on why he wanted to be at the Salt Lake stadium. “I have waited so long to see my club back in action in Kolkata. We have literally dominated our rivals the past couple of years and I just cannot miss an encore on Sunday,” he said.
“I will be at the Yuva Bharati and live stream the India-Pakistan match on my mobile phone. Local football is a mixture of adrenaline rush and emotion,” said Abhishek Chatterjee, an East Bengal fan who waited for hours with his friend from Naihati outside East Bengal grounds for a ticket.
Fans from both clubs are doing everything expected in the run-up to a derby – from booking mini-trucks to reach the stadium and ensuring team jerseys sell like hot cakes to unveiling multiple songs.
“We as fans look forward to every derby and this one is special since it is the first time the two teams are meeting after the pandemic in our city,” said Saikat Sinha, an ardent Mohun Bagan fan. In Bonhooghly, Amit Roy of East Bengal Ultras – one of the biggest supporter groups of the club – was a busy man on Saturday. “The team has a new owner and a new coach who understands football. The turnaround has to happen now,” he said.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/cry-for-tickets-on-maidan-ahead-of-1st-kolkata-derby-since-jan-2020/articleshow/93827160.cms
