'You may be denied entry': FAS urges fans not to buy tickets from the public for Asean Championship match

The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) has warned fans to avoid purchasing tickets from members of the public for the upcoming Asean Championship semi-final between Singapore and Vietnam.

In a Facebook post on Sunday (Dec 22), FAS said that it is aware that tickets to the match, set to take place at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Thursday (Dec 26), are currently being sold by members of the public.

"FAS cannot guarantee the authenticity of tickets resold on social media and online shopping platforms," it said, explaining that purchasing resold tickets may result in fans having invalid tickets.

This would lead to them being denied entry and suffering financial loss.

In its post, FAS also urged away fans not to purchase from resellers as they are only allowed in the designated away section.

"You may be denied entry into the stadium or be ejected from the venue if you are found to be seated in the sections reserved for home fans," it said.

Although tickets to the match are sold out, fans will be able to catch it live on digital video service mewatch, the association added.

Singapore qualified for the Asean Championship semi-finals after an outstanding 0-0 draw against higher-ranked Malaysia on Dec 20.

On Sunday (Dec 22), over 1,000 football fans were seen queueing to purchase tickets outside Jalan Besar stadium despite the heat.

Some came as early as 8am, four hours ahead of the start of ticketing sales at noon.

There were nearly 6,000 tickets available for this semi-final match. 

By 1pm, around 2,000 tickets were left and just after 1.30pm, those behind the 700th mark in the queue were told their chances of securing a ticket were low.

FAS chief Chew Chun-Liang was present at the venue, providing fans with updates and isotonic drinks as they waited in line.

Following the upcoming home match against Vietnam, Singapore will be playing the second leg of the semi-finals at the Viet Tri Stadium, which is 80km from Hanoi.

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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com