World football governing body FIFA has assured the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) about providing 228 World Cup tickets and the federation has already received around 600 applications for the elusive tickets of the greatest show on earth.
To select the eligible candidates for the tickets, the BFF has formed a committee led by senior vice president Abdus Salam Murshedy and it has finalised a list containing 140 names that include ministers, members of parliament, leading businessmen, members of the federation, journalists and well-off citizens of the country. “The BFF actually scrutinised the applicants’ capability and their football involvements. After that we finalised the list,” said BFF general secretary Abu Naeem Shohag.
The total number of purchasable tickets is currently estimated at 29,89,608 (80.4% of gross capacity). The total number is calculated by deducting the complimentary tickets, VIP and media tickets from the seating capacity.
Among the 228 tickets the BFF has been assured of, 45 are first-round tickets, 81 belong to the second round, 80 for the quarterfinals, 18 for the semifinals and only four for the grand finale in Rio De Janeiro on July 13.
The cost of first-round tickets is priced at $495 and $330, second-round tickets are priced at $220 and $165, tickets of quarterfinals are priced at $330, semifinal tickets are set at $760 while each final ticket will cost the applicant $990. The BFF has imposed an additional 10 percent service charge on the tickets to meet the expenses of shipping.
A World Cup ticket does not necessarily assure the ticket-buyer of a visa for Brazil. The buyer will have to obtain a visa from the Brazilian Embassy in order to travel to Brazil. The BFF will not take any responsibility for the assistance in the process of obtaining the visa apart from acknowledging the ticket buyer as a genuine one.
