TimesofIndia.com in Kolkata: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the West Bengal government pulled out all stops to make Brazil’s first-ever appearance on Indian soil a historic affair. Around 2,000 policemen were stationed at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday. More than 400 volunteers also chipped in. Separate companies of the central forces were also employed to keep miscreants at bay. Over a 100 temporary cameras were installed to add to the 200-plus CCTVs already in place. Yet, around an hour before the 7:30 pm kickoff, it appeared that the security were outnumbering the audience.In many ways, it was a historic occasion. Brazil hadn’t faced a team as lower ranked than India in 28 years. India hadn’t gone up against a team as higher ranked as Brazil since rankings were introduced in August 1993. It helps significantly that Kolkata raves over Brazil (and Argentina).When the game did kickoff, with Brazil’s anthem being followed by India’s, thousands more had walked in. But there were still large swathes of empty seats across the 85,000-seater stadium. A massive lower block behind one of the goals remained largely empty. As did a big section parallel to the dugouts.
The AIFF had reportedly spent over Rs 50 crore to bring Brazil, Uruguay and Panama to this part of the world. An additional, Rs 6 crore had been shelled out for a charter flight to fly in the 90-member Brazilian contingent from Australia. To recover those costs, ticket prices had been kept high. In the same vein, tickets were offered at a discount to members of the local clubs: East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting. With situation still not getting better ahead of the marquee contest, a buy-one-get-one offer was also floated.The fact that this fixture came two weeks before Durga Puja kept families away.
“The reason that people have stayed away is that Durga Puja is coming up. Had this fixture taken place during the winter, the sale would have been much higher. Football is a religion, a festival for Bengalis but Durga Puja is even bigger. And families end up spending a lot of money during the festival so people have stayed away now,” said a youth donning the colours of Mohun Bagan outside the Salt Lake Stadium.“If the same Brazil had come during the winter or even after Durga Puja, people would have come. You would have been desperate to get a single ticket. Price is not a big issue in my opinion. Even when Lionel Messi came, and didn’t play, people had spent money for his visit. India vs Bangladesh here had also attracted 63,000 people. So Durga Buja is the main reason people have kept away,” he continued.Some metres away, a flag and scarves seller occupied the street near the iconic stadium. The India and Brazil jerseys went for Rs 350 each, as he vouched for their quality. With tifos and banners not allowed inside, mini scarves worth Rs 200 were being sold instead. The seller begrudged the activity despite the magnitude of the occasion.“Had Neymar been here, things would have been bigger. Unfortunately, there is no Neymar, no big name, so fewer people have come,” he said disappointingly.
