Deputy Demands Investigation Into Mass Ticket Purchases By State Agencies For Kairat vs. Real Madrid Match

Majilis deputy Bakytzhan Bazarbek has criticized the organization of the Kairat vs. Real Madrid match at the Central Stadium in Almaty, Orda.kz reports.

He said access to the stadium was handled so poorly that dangerous overcrowding broke out, with children caught in it, and many fans with tickets didn’t make it to their seats until after the match had already started.

The organization of the entrance to the stadium is beyond criticism. Fans with tickets were unable to enter; a crush formed. Despite the presence of significant Special Rapid Response Unit, Ministry of Internal Affairs, and internal troops, they essentially just stood there and did not intervene, Bazarbek stated.

Organizers blamed the situation on a surge of people without tickets. But Bazarbek argues that even then, loudspeakers could have been used to speed up the process.

Some spectators entered only 5 to 20 minutes after kickoff.

Criticism was also directed at ticket pricing. Journalist Mikhail Kozachkov noted that despite high prices, spectators were not provided even basic comfort. Bazarbek himself said the situation was unacceptable, especially given Kairat’s participation in the Champions League.

If this is confirmed, then a fundamental question arises: how was the mass purchase of tickets financed—with employees’ personal money or with state resources? The use of budget funds for such purposes is absolutely unacceptable, he stressed.

People who bought tickets at exorbitant prices have a right to honesty and transparency, not to artificially created schemes and shortages,  Bazarbek concluded.

Original Author: Artyom Volkov