Match organiser ‘sorry’ after Man U, Liverpool slam ticket fiasco
The organiser of the upcoming Manchester United-Liverpool match in Bangkok apologised on Sunday after both Premier League clubs expressed disappointment over the reselling of match tickets.
The controversy kicked off earlier this week when celebrity online vendor Pimrypie offered 20,000 tickets for “The Match: Bangkok Century Cup 2022” at a discounted price. The exhibition match is scheduled to take place at Rajamangala Stadium on July 12. Pimrypie also said some lucky ticket buyers would be able to attend a concert rehearsal by K-pop star Jackson Wang and a private dinner with Wang and the footballers.
The discounted tickets triggered criticism from previous buyers as well as fans of Wang’s group GOT7, who said they felt cheated at paying the full price without receiving the extra benefits.
On Friday, Manchester United and Liverpool issued Facebook statements denying they had resold their own ticket allocations or offered a private dinner with the players. Both Premier League giants said they were disappointed with the confusion caused for their fans in Thailand.
On Saturday, Team Wang issued a similar statement, saying no tickets for the rehearsal or private dinner tickets had been put up for sale.
On Sunday, Vinij Lertratanachai, CEO of the match organiser Fresh Air Festival, apologised for the controversy in an Instagram post.
He said he realised the exhibition match was meaningful for both teams, who had images to protect.
"It isn't easy working with football clubs that have more than 3 billion fans, as problems come every second," he added.
He also promised that the July 12 match would create great memories for Manchester United and Liverpool players and fans of the clubs worldwide.
