By Andrew Mills and Charlotte Bruneau
DOHA (Reuters) – Ashraf Ali arrived at Stadium 974 six hours before Argentina’s World Cup match between Argentina and Poland and, in desperation, held up a handwritten sign: “Tickets Needed”.
Someone offered one for $2,000, nine times the original price.
The price was too high for Ali, 30, who traveled from Egypt to Qatar to fulfill his dream of seeing Argentine star Lionel Messi play. Thirty minutes before the start of the game, he got a ticket for 500 dollars, and witnessed Argentina’s 2-0 victory.
Other ticketless fans are increasingly gathering around the perimeters of packed stadiums in Doha during the World Cup to haggle with scalpers, who quietly sell tickets to popular games for up to 10 times their original price.
They seem undaunted by police patrols, security cameras and laws banning the practice in the Gulf Arab country.
“A parallel market is taking shape,” a French scalper told Reuters, saying the sales had brought him enough money to pay for his trip to the final, plus a bonus.
The man, who declined to be identified, said he charges “the most dedicated fans” a 1,000% margin on tickets to games played, with stars such as Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
“I (sell to) the matches you can monetize the most.”
Other savvy scalpers have traveled to Doha to cash in on the Cup, a first in the Middle East. Reuters spoke to about 20 people who said they had bought or tried to buy tickets on the black market using social media platforms or outside stadiums.
Fans were also seen exchanging money for tickets outside the Al Thumama stadium, where crowds without tickets wanted to see Morocco win 2-1 over Canada.
On Saturday, organizers urged fans without tickets not to go to the stadiums after games on Thursday and Friday, where large crowds tried to gain access without tickets.
(Reporting by Charlotte Bruneau and Andrew Mills)
#Desperate #fans #turn #scalpers #Qatar #buy #World #Cup #tickets #ISTOÉ #DINHEIRO