Durand Cup: Mad rush as hundreds queue-up to buy semi-final tickets between Shillong Lajong and North East United in Shillong

Shillong: Ticket counters selling tickets for the semi-final match of the 133rd Durand Cup, 2024 in Shillong witnessed massive rush of football lovers even hours before the opening of counters on Saturday.

Ticket counters were opened at 2 pm, but football crazy fans started standing in queues to buy offline tickets right from 6 am in various ticket counters in Shillong, the state capital of Meghalaya.

The semi-final match between Shillong Lajong FC and North East United FC is conspired a Northeast derby to be held at Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, Polo, Shillong on August 26 at 5.30 pm.

There were three ticket outlets in the state capital at Golflink (Main Box office,) Cafe Shillong at Laitumkhrah and Electronic Centre at Khyndai Lad.

All these three ticket outlets witnessed serpentine queues right from morning. Fans lined up amid incessant rain during the day with umbrellas and raincoats with security personnel having a tough time to control the crowd.

“We are the among early ones to stand in queue here (Golflink) to ensure that we get our tickets in hand for the semi-finals match. We cannot missed the derby,” a young man who identified himself as Bah Nah said.

Like Bah Nah, football fans from neighbouring states of Assam also drove up to Meghalaya’s capital Shillong to buy their tickets for the Northeast derby.

“We started as early as 6 am from Guwahati . We are Shillong Lajong FC supporters. We would want to be in the ground to cheers for the Red Dragons (Shillong Lajong FC),” Utpal Moral, who was standing in queue near Don Bosco Square, said.

The Durand Cup organising committee has put up sale of tickets from Friday and it was an online sale. On Saturday it was an offline sale and probably it will continue on Sunday. The price of the tickets begins from Rs. 100 to 300 and the highest category is priced at Rs. 499.

The rush for tickets is the fact that only 15,000 tickets are up for sale including complimentary passes.

“We notified that these outlets would be selling tickets from 2 pm, but in at least one outlet at Golf Link, fans have lined up right since morning,” an official of the organising committee , said.

“Some stands are kept empty because giant LED screens are put up in the stadium. The capacity has reduced a bit because open galleries of the stadium has now installed bucket seats, which obviously has taken up space," the official said.

It is also for the first time that the Durand Cup is being hosted in the state and in this football crazy state, fans are keenly awaiting to watch this highly excited derby match.

“It is an honour to host the legendary Durand Cup, a tradition we've proudly upheld since 2019. Your support, along with the backing of the footballing fraternity, has helped us grow over these years. This tournament has made its mark in Meghalaya for the first time, thanks not only to the passion of the local community but also to the unwavering enthusiasm from the Meghalaya government,” Major General Rajesh Moge, Vice Chairman of the Durand Cup Organising Committee, said.

Durand Cup is Asia's oldest football tournament and was first organised in 1888. The cup is named after Sir Mortimer Durand and the tournament began as a competition between different branches of the British Indian armed forces.