Hong Kong football fans cry foul as tickets for Singapore match resold at 17 times price
Angry fans ask why real-name registration was abandoned for match at Kai Tak Stadium, amid signs that scalpers took advantage
Hong Kong football fans have slammed the ticketing arrangements for the city’s match against Singapore at Kai Tak Stadium, as seats for next Tuesday’s sell-out clash appeared on resale platforms at inflated prices.
Tickets for the Asian Cup qualifying match sold out in less than 80 minutes last Friday. They went on sale at 3pm via online platform Ticketflap, and the Football Association of Hong Kong, China (HKFA) announced at 4.17pm they had sold out.
Supporters flooded the HKFA’s social media pages to complain, while listings soon appeared on sites including online marketplace Carousell, with one offering three tickets in the upper-level fans zone for HK$4,000 (US$515) – nearly 17 times the original total price of HK$240.
The HKFA did not respond to the Post’s request for comment.
“Even Blackpink cannot sell out within 80 minutes at Kai Tak,” one fan said, referring to the K-pop band’s concert at the same stadium, which sold out in a little more than 90 minutes in June.
Many fans attributed the speedy sell-out to the abandonment of real-name registration and questioned why it had not been retained after being adopted for the match against Bangladesh in October to ensure fairness.