New Delhi: There was turbulence reported ahead of the Hockey India League (HIL) final at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela on Saturday. It wasn’t a comfortable entry for the fans who had turned up for the title clash between Hyderabad Toofans and Rarh Bengal Tigers.
After Hockey India’s decision to keep the match tickets free of cost, the same rule was carried for the final match, leading to an unexpected crowd turnout. The tickets had to be either booked online or could be collected at the ticket counter outside the venue.
However, a misconception of the entry being free-for-all turned out to be a hustling day outside the Gate No.2 of the hockey stadium in Rourkela.
According to a report by Sportstar, six people were injured outside the gate in what was a mini-stampede, though the injuries were minor. As many as 4000 people were forced to wait outside the gate after the security guards denied them entry owing to jam-packed crowd of 20,000 odd fans had made it to the venue. Among those stuck outside the gate, some held the tickets but couldn’t make it to the venue.
Here’s the video from Sportstar showing how the fans were helpless despite carrying tickets.
It’s a full house at the Birsa Munda Stadium in Rourkela. @aashin23 found a large number of fans, with tickets for the final, not allowed inside due to the stadium running out of room. #HockeyIndiaLeague pic.twitter.com/fQmpbwDH6P
— Sportstar (@sportstarweb) February 1, 2025
A video from one of the spectators outside the venue, showing the scenes of turbulence.
Stampade like situation created due to the failure of this govt to manage this event.
Political persons are allowed freely but ticket holders are not allowed to enter. pic.twitter.com/11BRdLgb9s
— 𝙽𝚊𝚢𝚊𝚔 (@_Nayak07) February 2, 2025
Hockey India, in response to the overcrowding, said that they never expected such strong response given that many of the league games were played either in empty stands or in front of decent number of spectators.
“We also had organised the World Cup here but this is unbelievable, I didn’t expect so many people here – 20000 inside and so many people outside,” Hockey India general secretary Bholanath Singh commented on the matter, as quoted by Sportstar.
“I also apologise to those people who came here to see hockey that there is not enough space inside. I also request the police to make them understand and not use force against them,” he added.
Rarh Bengal Tigers won the HIL 2024-25 title after edging past Hyderabad Toofans by a 4-3 margin in what was a thrilling match to decide the title. Jugraj Singh netted a hat-trick while Sam Lane added one goal for the Tigers. Argentina-born German player Gonzalo Peillat struck a brace for the Toofans and Amandeep Lakra scored one.
The Hockey India League (HIL) final in Rourkela witnessed a chaotic scene due to unexpected crowd turnout after free tickets were offered. A mini-stampede outside the stadium resulted in minor injuries to six people, with thousands more left outside the stadium despite having tickets. Hockey India apologised for the overcrowding, attributing it to an unexpectedly large response. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
