Restrictions lifted on tickets for Brazil game
The organiser of the Carlsberg Cup has abolished restrictions on ticket purchases and expanded its ticketing network in an attempt to boost flagging sales.
But the Hong Kong Football Association insisted that prices would not be slashed.
Fans are now allowed to buy more than four tickets at any one time, while tickets are now on general sale at the association's headquarters in Ho Man Tin.
Despite the lukewarm response to Wednesday's match, the organiser still believed that sales would pick up after the Brazilian team arrives in Hong Kong on Monday.
To assure soccer fans that their purchase was value for money, the organiser yesterday also issued a confirmed list of Brazilian players definitely coming, which included the '3Rs' - Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Roberto Carlos.
More than 16,000 tickets remained unsold yesterday. Sales slowed from about 1,200 tickets sold on Tuesday to no more than 300 yesterday.
On Sunday about 7,000 tickets were sold after a process of ticket allocation through a computer draw.
But only a handful of the 7,250 people chosen from 53,000 pre-registered people turned up to buy the tickets.
Martin Lam Chun-ying, general secretary of the Hong Kong Football Association, reiterated that they were not worried about sales for the match.
'Past experience tells us that open ticket sales for the Carlsberg Cup will pick up faster after the members of the foreign football team arrive,' he said, adding this was the only chance for soccer fans to see the full Brazil team in the city.
Of the unsold tickets, the majority are priced between $800 and $1,500. There are up to 7,500, 3,900 and 4,800 unsold tickets at the prices of $800, $1,200 and $1,500 respectively.
