Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup: Fans vandalise Kalinga Stadium ticket counter

Bhubaneswar: With only a few days left to witness much-awaited Men’s Hockey World Cup, tension erupted at the Kalinga Stadium with vandalism of ticket counter by the irate fans after they failed to get tickets here this morning.

The fans were in the queue to avail tickets of the inaugural ceremony of the Hockey World Cup since last night. After they were denied the tickets for the event, they vandalised the ticket counter located at Gate No 9 of Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

Police resorted to lathicharge on the mob to bring the situation under control.

While the State government is promoting hockey at the national and international level, the fans were hugely disappointed over unavailability of tickets to witness the inaugural ceremony of the event, which will be attended by popular figures and celebrities including Bollywood Superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Music maestro AR Rahman.

Earlier, the authorities had announced to sell the ticket for the opening ceremony of Hockey World Cup on Nov 15. The sports lovers were waiting in front of the ticket counter of the stadium since last night under the open sky for the tickets. They started destroying at the counter after they were denied the tickets.

Notably, the Hockey World Cup is scheduled to begin from November 28 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.