Vietnamese fans in Singapore 'wander' waiting to buy tickets to cheer on coach Kim Sang-sik and his team
Hai Hoang•DNUM_CGZBCZCACE 19:15
Many Vietnamese fans in Singapore waited in front of Jalan Besar Stadium, hoping to buy a ticket to cheer on coach Kim Sang-sik and his team in the first leg of the semi-final tonight.
At around 4pm this afternoon (December 26) Singapore time, quite a few Vietnamese people came to the ticket office of Jalan Besar Stadium to buy tickets to watch the Vietnamese team play the first leg of the semi-finals tonight. Photo: Hai HoangThere were people waiting since morning, but when the ticket office opened, no fans could enter to buy tickets. Photo: Hai HoangThe only notice on sale in Vietnamese is “Tickets sold out” without any explanation. Photo: Hai HoangAlthough all the Vietnamese people present were sad and somewhat upset, they remained calm, did not raise their voices, did not argue, and were ready to stand outside Jalan Besar Stadium to cheer for the match. Photo: Hai HoangInitially, Singapore announced that they would sell tickets to away fans directly at the stadium at 3pm this afternoon, but later, they only announced a very short line on their Football Federation's information page: ''Tickets for away fans will be issued by the VFF.'' However, this number is very small, only a few dozen tickets, accounting for less than 1% of the capacity of Jalan Besar Stadium. Photo: Hai HoangIn another corner, this fan took a nap while waiting to get a ticket to enter the stadium. Photo: Hai HoangThe absence of fans will be a big challenge for the Vietnamese team, but with the spirit that overseas Vietnamese in Singapore convey, hopefully the team will overcome difficulties to bring pride. Photo: Hai HoangMr. Thanh and his wife (from Quang Binh) were luckier than most fans as they both had tickets. Mr. Thanh shared that getting a ticket at this time was like winning the jackpot. Photo: Hai HoangThis fan did not have a ticket to enter the stadium, but still prepared banners, national flags and red shirts with yellow stars to cheer on the Vietnamese team. Photo: Hai HoangMr. Trung and Ms. Hang (from Ha Tinh), who are working in Singapore, have cut their leave this month to cheer for the Vietnamese team. Photo: Hai HoangThey shared: ''We have 4 days off a month, today both my husband and I asked the company for a day off to go cheer for the Vietnamese team, but we still don't have tickets. If we can't get into the stadium, we will find a way to cheer from afar, just hoping that the Vietnamese team wins''. Photo: Hai Hoang
Vietnam will meet host Singapore in the first leg of the 2024 ASEAN Cup semi-final at Jalan Besar artificial turf pitch at 8pm tonight. In the group stage, Singapore chose the National Stadium (capacity 55,000) as their home ground in a 2-1 win over Cambodia and a 2-4 loss to Thailand. This is a pitch with natural grass.
However, because the national stadium will host a music event, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) has chosen Jalan Besar Stadium as the home ground for the first leg of the semi-finals. Jalan Besar Stadium is an artificial turf field with a capacity of only 6,000 spectators and no pitch./.
