Ticket sales for 'Messi match' yet to pick up

Lionel Messi's date with Kolkata may be round the corner, but ticket sales for the high profile FIFA International friendly between Argentina vs Venezuela on September 2 have been lukewarm so far.

Online and counter sales for tickets began from July 30 but as of now only 20,000 of the 100,000 tickets have been sold, according to the details provided from Celebrity Management Group, the exclusive right holders of the friendly.

"There has been a very good response for online ticket sales. We are sure the counter sales (at Mohammadan Sporting Ground) will pick up as the match day nears. Overall 20,000 tickets have been sold," Bhaswar Goswami, CMG Executive Director said.

The organisers said tickets priced Rs 700 (upper tier) and Rs 2,470 (middle) have been been sold out.

A seat in the premium VIP gallery located in the middle tier cost either Rs 3590 (VIP 1) or Rs 5120 (VIP 2) respectively.

In the lower tier, prices will be Rs 1550, Rs 1860 and Rs 2570 (block C) and middle tier Rs 2060 and Rs 2470.

The tickets have about seven layers of security features that are impossible to breach, Goswami said. In December 2008, the stadium hosted Argentine legend Diego Maradona during a promotional programme.

The city had earlier witnessed the presence of football legends like Pele, Branco, Romario, Diego Forlan for promotional programmes.

But this time, the best of Argentina which include Messi, Carlos Tevez, Angelo Di Maria, Xavier Mascherano will battle it out in front of the 130,000 crowd at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan. The match is scheduled to begin at 7pm.