The head of the India 2017 Fifa U17 World Cup said he feels “hurt” after three volunteers were among those arrested over ticket touting allegations.
Tournament director Javier Ceppi condemned the incident of tickets being sold on the black market after police in Kolkata detained seven people over the weekend.
The Hindustan Times reports that police caught the seven in the act of selling tickets at well above face value.
It is the latest setback for the Fifa tournament, which has been notable for poor attendances and huge areas of empty seats on display.
“I really don’t like such an incident. It hurts from a personal point of view. Nobody has the right to do that,” Ceppi said.
“Volunteers are blood of our organisation. It doesn’t reflect the local organising committee as only two or three such bad elements are there. We have taken a strong stand and we take it very seriously. Two or three rotten eggs don’t reflect what our organisation stands for.”
The Fifa U17 World Cup began on October 8, with the final to take place in Kolkata on October 28.
It was reported that organisers gave away 27,000 tickets for the opening game in New Delhi in a bid to avoid the embarrassment of empty stands when Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended.
While the organising committee has been criticised for seats being left empty, officials claim they were unable to sell tickets for many areas due to deals with sponsors and other bodies.
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