Nanning touts cut from a different cloth as leather-clad rascals replace unbending grandmas in China Cup ticket war
Buying a ticket from a scalper on the mainland is a unique experience that is only magnified in the country’s south-easternmost province
Buying a ticket for a football match from a tout in China is a uniquely China experience. Where in Western countries it is the preserve of some of society’s naughtier elements who talk of tickets in terms of “briefs” and “sheets” and other such slang that are swapped for “readies”, “monkeys” or a “pony”, that’s not usually the case outside Chinese football grounds.
Ordinarily, the local elderly population seems to be the conduit between the ticket office and the ticketless football fan, with grandmas driving a hard bargain at least until the game has kicked off.
The China Cup in Nanning was a slightly different experience, though, and about as different as you might get from the norm.
Perhaps that is to be expected from a city that is nearly 2,500km from Beijing and just 328km from Hanoi, tucked away in the south-easternmost of China’s provinces.
Here in Nanning, all of the city’s more rascal elements were out trying to tout their tickets, at least based on their dress – all leather jackets and jeans. A strong look on a day that reached 25 degrees Celsius.
