FCBARCELONA.CAT

11.08.2007 10:26

Change of time affects attendance

David Saura

The stadium in Hong Kong did not fill to capacity as expected, probably due to the change of date and the fact that several fans had no option but to return their tickets.

Typhoon Pabuk had a marked effect on the game in Hong Kong, causing the game to be postponed by one day and limiting the attendance to ….. spectators. On Saturday, no fewer than ….. of the 36,000 tickets that had been sold on Friday were returned. The official promoters, Pro Events, were obliged to refund the costs of the ticket /(between 38 and 98 euros) if the date of the matches was changed, as was the case.

The time of the match (14.30) also had a negative effect, as many of the people with tickets had to work at that time. For that reason, the promoters had wanted the game to kick off at 20.00, but FC Barcelona insisted that they wanted to play earlier and head back to Europe that evening in order for the players to get a good night’s sleep at home.

Apart from the attendance, there were a series of other unusual occurrences at the match, which we detail below:

- There were no fewer than 28 players in the Mission Hills Invitation XI, made up of the two biggest clubs in the city, Happy Valley and Kitchee. There were also two managers: Dejan Antonic ((Kitchee) and Loh Kai Wah (Happy Valley).

- Like in Yokohama, the Catalan tourist board showed a video before the match that promoted Catalonia as a tourist destination. Ronaldinho, Xavi and Henry all invited viewers to the country, speaking both in English and their own languages.

- The game was shown live on the stadium’s video scoreboards. All of the goals and highlights were replayed on the big screen.

- There are a number of unusual rules in the stadium. Smoking is banned, even though it seems to be accepted in all of the local bars and restaurants, while fans are not allowed to either beat drums or feed the birds.

- Representatives of both clubs and the organisers met before the game and posed for photos with the players. Vice president Ferran Soriano, who is representing the club in Hong Kong, was introduced as the ‘president’.