It is time to stop taking the fans for granted. If you are an Indian fan you desperately want two things as India take on Ireland in its third World Cup game. First, the bowling should come good and secondly, that elusive little piece of paper that allows you entry into the stadium.
With the ballot process for the semi-finals and finals coming to a close shortly, it is no surprise that there has been a spurt in registering for the ballot in the last 24 hours. So much so that 100,000 plus people have applied for the 1,000 tickets on offer, making it a ratio of 1:100. This unprecedented demand, in turn, draws attention to two things?that the organisers cannot continue to deprive fans saying that no more than 10% of the tickets will be made available to them and the ballot was the only way to ensure there was no further violence or police brutality on fans as was the case in Bangalore on the eve of the India-England clash.
The ballot system, followed for years at Lords or at Wimbledon, is a well established process in the West. I have been lucky with the ballot for the India-England test to be played at Lords in July. Registration for the ballot ended on the night of December 13. I was informed in early January that my request for tickets for days one and two of the first Test had been upheld.
As a fan, it means much to note that there is a system in place to ensure that the maximum number of tickets reach out to the fans and that there?s no case of empowering the privileged behind the scenes. With the demand for tickets always more than supply in India, it is time the BCCI makes the ballot a permanent feature in ensuring equitable ticket distribution. Put in place by Kyazoonga, the official ticket agents for the World Cup in consultation with the ICC, it is the only way forward.
The other burning issue is the ridiculously small number of tickets being made available to the fans. With the ICC asking for only 1,270 tickets for its sponsors and commercial partners, and some 250 hospitality tickets, it is difficult to digest how the fans can have access to no more than 3,000 tickets in stadiums with 35,000 plus seats? Even if we note that another 3,000 or so tickets are reserved for overseas tour operators, it is still unfathomable why just 40% of the tickets are reserved for the fans. Why can?t members of the MCA buy the tickets via ballot for the World Cup final? Or for that matter, the clubs that are registered with the MCA obtain their quota via the ballot process as well.
The World Cup final is no simple bilateral match and will happen once in a lifetime. In view of its importance why should normal agreements, resorted to in case of bilateral series, be followed? Exceptions will have to be made to ensure that the Cup continues to be for the fan, of the fan and by the fan. It is this constituency that has kept the game alive and it is this constituency we have started taking for granted.
In India, there is a crying need for bright young politicians. With each member of the Mumbai municipality getting a finals ticket, this is perhaps the best incentive for the youth to join politics! Be an MLA, and get a World Cup finals ticket should be the latest catchline! Leaving sarcasm aside, it is impossible to understand why an MLA should get a ticket? He was voted into public office by the public to do a job. As a public servant, it cannot be his entitlement to enjoy privileges that are denied to the public at large. Perhaps, it is time for someone to file a PIL to stop this evil practice of empowering the politicians, and fight for an institution of a centralised ticketing system in India.
Bangladesh has accomplished this mission to a large extent. Most Bangladeshi administrators had to purchase their World Cup tickets and freebies have been considerably reduced. It is time that India follows the lead and wakes up to the necessity of empowering the real cricket fan. Not only will this result in increased revenue for the organisers, it will also result in a far more professional system of ticketing being put in place, something this country needs very badly.
?The writer is a sports historian