World Cup fever is gripping Uzbekistan, where tempers flared this week as some 1,500 football aficionados queued for tickets for an upcoming group game match at Tashkent’s Bunyodkor Stadium. The BBC's Uzbek Service reported that police used force to disperse the disorderly crowd.
The excitement is understandable: A first for Central Asian football, Uzbekistan's national team stands on the verge of qualifying for the game’s top contest, to be held in Brazil next year.
The Uzbekistan Football Federation website reported the supporters flooded Bunyodkor's ticket offices on March 18, expecting tickets to go on sale at 2 p.m. When ticket windows failed to open, disgruntled fans started revolting. The police moved in with batons and made several arrests, according to the kun.uz website.
The 12news.uz website claimed 6,000 tickets were sold later in the day, but a fan commenting on the story claimed that only 200-500 tickets had been sold after 18.30 and that enthusiasts were unhappy with the process.
Fans will now have to wait until after the Navruz holiday to get their hands on the precious tickets, which will go on sale again March 22. The tickets, which cost between 15,000 and 30,000 sum ($7.50 to $15.00 at the official exchange rate), are limited to two per person.
The legendary former Brazilian football coach Luiz Felipe Scolari is leaving his well-compensated post in the Uzbekistan soccer club Bunyodkor and is looking to return to either Europe or his homeland, he told Reuters today.
Last June, Scolari was unveiled as the new manager of Bunyodkor, Uzbekistan’s richest soccer club, which has been cited in world media for its lucrative player contracts.
Uzbekistan seemed rather farflung for a coach of Scolari's renown -- he was famous for having led Brazil to World Cub victory in 2002. The 61-year-old coach was believed to have signed an 18-month contract originally last year, but told Reuters the club needs to cut costs and wants to break off his contract.
Last April, Bunyodkor benefited from a huge tax break extended to Uzbek soccer clubs. The tax exemption covered customs duties on imports, construction materials and other fees except for social insurance payments. Although the old stadium was only one year old at the time, last year Bunyodkov felt flush enough to start construction of a new $150 million 35,000-seat stadium. It was supposed to open in March.
But with all of Zeromax's troubles, the project may be among construction jobs halted for now pending a government probe.
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