Tobago clamour for football tickets

Questions were first raised about the availability of tickets for Tobagonians following the announcement that they would go on sale on Friday only at three outlets — the Hasely Crawford Stadium at Mucurapo; Skinner Park in San Fernando; and the Arima Velodrome.

It was said that Tobagonians were at a disadvantage in obtaining the limited number of tickets and they should not be made to journey to Trinidad to purchase them, especially for an event of national interest.

However, Newsday has learnt that, based upon previous records, several hundred tickets have been sent to the Tobago House of Assembly’s Sports Division and the Sport Tobago group for sale and distribution.

It is understood that six hundred tickets for the uncovered stand were sent to Sport Tobago and were only available to persons purchasing a TT $200 football package organised by the group.

The package included return tickets for the MF Panorama, ground transportation, football T-shirt and an identification hand-band.

Sport Tobago’s head, Greville Nicholson has indicated that there were still quite a few tickets remaining for sale.

The THA Sports Department told Newsday that the one hundred tickets that had been made available to them (50 Covered and 50 Uncovered) and were already sold out as persons had paid in advance for them.

The tickets were originally to be sold at KFC Restaurants and Republic Bank branches but on Monday, FIFA vice-president and Special Advisor to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation Jack Warner, announced the new arrangements.

A release from the Local Organising Committee stated that the move was made to allow all football fans and supporters the opportunity to purchase tickets for the match.

Concerns were also raised about reports that tickets were being ordered and could be withheld from the general public if a system was not in place to level the playing field for the man in the street.