Meghalaya: Chaos erupts as football fans queue for Durand Cup semifinal tickets

Ahead of the much-awaited Northeast Derby semifinal between Northeast United FC and Shillong Lajong FC in Shillong's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium football enthusiasts queued in large numbers at designated counters for purchasing offline tickets on August 24. 

It must be mentioned that the site for purchasing online tickets had also crashed earlier in the day. 

The tournament officials announced that tickets would be available for sale from 2 pm onwards on Saturday at Laitumkhrah, Khyndailad, and Golf Link.

However, people lined up in queues since 6 am in anticipation of getting their hands on tickets despite heavy rainfall. Meanwhile, chaos erupted over limited availability of offline tickets. 

A source said, "The commotion erupted as officials announced that a person can buy only two tickets and not five as announced earlier. People argued that if one can buy five tickets online then the same should apply to those buying offline."

The semifinal match will be held on Monday at 5:30 pm. 

The Durand Cup Organising Committee had stated, "In response to overwhelming requests from supporters of both these teams, and in recognition of the traditional significance of the chosen venue as a stronghold of support for these clubs, we have decided to relocate the semifinal match between Northeast United FC and Shillong Lajong FC to Shillong and reschedule it one day later, i.e. 26 August."