Getting hold of finals ticket felt ‘like M’sia scoring a goal’ — fan
KUALA LUMPUR: “It’s like the feeling I get when Malaysia scores,” said Nur Aiman Nurullail, 21, when describing the moment he managed to get hold of a ticket to the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup final first leg, after ‘battling’ it out in front of the computer since 8 am, Saturday.
Nur Aiman, who decided to purchase his ticket online said he used three to four computers for the purpose, and finally managed to secure one more than an hour later.
“I was filled with spirit and joy, it’s as if I just saw Malaysia score a goal,” he told Bernama after redeeming the ticket at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium here yesterday.
The first leg of the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup finals involving Malaysia and Vietnam will take place at Bukit Jalil National Stadium on Tuesday (Dec 11), while the return leg in Hanoi is scheduled for Dec 15.
It was a different story for Fatin Nurlisa Mohd Raus, 20, who forgot her own identity card number when she became too excited after managing to log into the ticketing system.
“Since entering office at 8.30 am, I had tried three times, but the system was down and I had to try again.
The fourth time, I was successful, but was so nervous that when it came to fill in my personal details, I forgot my identity card number,” she said.
The scene was no better at the physical ticket purchasing counters at the national stadium yesterday as rowdy supporters and gatecrashers created a tense mood, causing some of them ‘drown’ in the crowd and become suffocated.
Shahrul Asyraaf Tarmizi, 24, said he had to return home empty-handed despite waiting in line since 8 pm Saturday night.
“There were no enforcement authorities to control the situation. What made it worse is the supporters who came late tried to cut the line which led to some commotion, causing several to fall,” said the youth from Taman Melawati, Kuala Lumpur.
Checks by Bernama at the scene found the lines to be up to 100 m-long before the counters were opened at 10 am, and the Federal Reserve Unit was brought in to control the situation when the crowd became increasingly ‘fierce’.
The Football Association of Malaysia via a post on its Facebook page at about 11.15 am yesterday confirmed that all 80,000 tickets for the match had been sold. - Bernama