MUSCAT: In a shocking incident, tickets for Oman’s second game of the final 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying round against Saudi Arabia scheduled to be played at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex (SQSC) on Tuesday are going up for eye-watering prices in the online black market, The Arabian Stories has learnt. 

The Oman Football Association (OFA) has signed an agreement with popular e-commerce app TM Done for the fans to purchase the match tickets online, after the Supreme Committee gave the go-ahead for thousands of fans to attend the country’s most important game this week. 

However, an OMR 3 match ticket is now being sold for OMR 20, OMR 30 and OMR 45 outside the platform. “Some people who want to make some extra money are buying the match tickets for OMR 3 from the platform and are selling it for a huge profit in the black market,” said Omani citizen Mohammed Al Balushi, an ardent football fan from Seeb.

Popular Oman TV presenter Khaled Al Shukaili called it a “scandal”. “This is a shame and a scandal. Greedy people are buying tickets in groups and selling them for profits. This is simply not acceptable,” Al Shukaili said.

Meanwhile, OFA and TM Done have issued a joint statement after the issue was widely discussed on social media. “OFA officials will verify the ticket holder’s data stored on the ticket barcode at the entrance gates,” OFA and TM Done said.

“Selling tickets to others after purchasing them from the site and making financial profit from it is a legal violation,” OFA added.

The Supreme Committee allowed a crowd of up to 30% of the stadium’s full capacity. This would make it the first match with fans on stands since the start of the pandemic.