Scalpers make a killing from Azkals-Mongolia tickets

MANILA, Philippines � Thousands of Filipino fans lined up at the entrance of the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City early Wednesday morning to secure tickets for the football match between the Philippine Azkals and the Mongolian Blue Wolves in the evening.

However, many of them went home empty handed as there were no longer any �free tickets� for the Asian Football Federation (AFC) Challenge Cup qualifier.

��Everybody is still trying to find tickets to be able to come over here at the Panaad Stadium,� reported ABS-CBN sports anchor Boyet Sison on the ABS-CBN News Channel's (ANC) Dateline Philippines.

Some of the football fans came from as far as Cebu and Iloilo with hopes of seeing their idols play, in what many say is the country�s biggest football event in years.

�A lot of people came over here to the Panaad stadium hoping to get their hands on tickets for today�s game. The lines were long this morning, but unfortunately, there were no more tickets available,� said Sison.

The event�s organizers had said the free tickets would be handed out on Wednesday on a first-come, first-served basis.

Scalpers

Scalpers have reportedly been selling some of the tickets, which were supposed to be free.

�We heard that there are scalpers� some are selling the tickets for P1,000, P1,500 [each]. We're talking about the tickets that are supposed to be given for free,� said Sison.

The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) earlier said they printed 18,200 tickets for the game.

At total of 10,000 are free tickets for general admission; 2,000 free tickets for the grandstand section; 2,200 reserved seats for VIPs; and, 4,000 tickets for sale at P300 each.

PFF president Mariano Araneta said the tickets were �allocated properly.�

The free tickets were reportedly handed over to the local government unit, which was tasked to distribute the tickets on Wednesday.

Local organizers plan to remove the people crowding out the stadium.

More than 1,000 police officers and soldiers have been deployed inside and around the Panaad Stadium.

Bacolod City officials also redirected vehicular traffic on roads leading to the stadium. -- With reports from Ragie Arellano and Yasmin Dormido, ABS-CBN News Negros, and The Philippine Star