When chaos reigned at the ‘Ring of Fire’
Fans with tickets left stranded around the periphery of stadium
For anything to thrive and make it a success, the most important thing are the people. And that cannot be anymore truer for sport. For all its stars and the stardom, it is the fans who make them. Without them, the sport or for that matter, the cast wouldn’t be as stellar as it would be.
Sadly, what transpired on Friday night was definitely not what the fans deserved.
After a decent opening segment in Dubai and a traditionally good crowd in the iconic venue that is Sharjah, the inaugural Pakistan Super League’s first play-off between Peshawar Zalmi and the Quetta Gladiators got an unexpected windfall. Thousands and thousands of fans turned up and like the famous phrase ‘All roads lead to Rome,’ all roads led to the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. And while the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) may have been buoyed by the footfall and thanked them for a sell-out of the 25,000 capacity ‘Ring of Fire,’ there were thousands and thousands of them, who were left stranded around the periphery of the stadium.
A vast majority of them had valid tickets and with it being a Friday, they had come with their families. There were men, women with their babies and children in tow and had come to entertain themselves to a blockbuster.
But sadly though, they didn’t get to witness a thriller of a game which went down to the wire.
Despite showing their tickets and online ticket print outs, they were not allowed access.
Like the song by famous thrash metal band Megadeth ‘Addicted to Chaos,’ it was chaos that reigned supreme. There was confusion everywhere and it all started with a massive traffic log jam on Hessa Street, the main road leading to the stadium. It was a tail back of epic propositions with cars, SUVs and buses snaking all up to the flyover.
Once they reached the venue, it got even worse for the valid ticket holders. Scenes of families tending to their kids while waiting to get in, were a common sight. And a lot of them had waited for hours together, hoping they could watch the match. There were other fans too who were looking for tickets and had come from as far as Ras Al Khaimah, Al Ain and Sharjah to get a glimpse of their hero Shahid Afridi. With the ticket booths already shut, they were willing to cough up from Dh 200 to Dh 500 for a ticket.
The PSL tickets cost a modest Dh30. Peshawar’s Niaz Ali was one such. “I have been waiting for three hours here. I am offering Dh 200 for a ticket but I am still not able to get one,” said Niaz, who came from Ras Al Khaimah. Gul Ghani Shah, also from Peshawar said: “It is really frustrating, since we have come from Sharjah after experiencing so much traffic on the way. We are ready to pay more but nobody is offering any ticket.” Zafaran-Ullah, who came with a group of friends from Al Ain said: “I reached here at 4pm and I’m still unable to get a ticket. We have come to watch Peshawar Zalmi and our hero Shahid Afridi performing. It is very unfair and the Pakistan Cricket Board should address this problem for the remaining matches.”
What was even worse was that some of the media personnel were denied entry despite holding valid media accreditation. And it surely doesn’t help when there is no separate media gate and they, with all their heavy equipment have to pass through the gates allotted for the public. Better planning and a bit of respect could go a long way in making it a spectacle for everyone.