Fans faint lining up for Suzuki Cup tickets

Security staffs of My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi are deployed to keep order as fans crowd around ticket booths

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Tickets to watch the Vietnam – Malaysia battle, the second-leg semifinal game at the Suzuki Cup in Hanoi, has become hot stuff, as dozens of fans fainted Thursday while standing in long queue from midnight.

Though ticket booths started selling them from 8:40am, fans had queued from 22:00pm the night before.

Le Thi Tuyet, 70, from the northern Ha Nam Province, said “I am waiting here from 2:00am [in the open air in front of My Dinh Stadium] despite the freezing weather.”

Till 10:00am on the date, she was still in her line.

Security forces at My Dinh were deployed after the queue became longer and some began jostling and pushing, causing dozens of fans to faint.

Black market scalpers were already cashing in on the occasion.

Due to regulations that each fan could buy no more than two tickets, scalpers hired unemployed people to queue up. They then sold the tickets back eight times higher.

With a ticket worth VND100,000 (US$5), scalpers were willing to pay VND450,000 and then sold to fans at VND700,000 – 800,000.

The second-leg semifinal game is scheduled to kick off at 19:00pm on December 18 in Hanoi. In the first leg, Vietnam were beaten 2-0.

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An Giang, Nam Dinh book final round spots in U21 tourney

An Giang and Nam Dinh topped their respective groups, F and A, to win final round berths at the U.21 National Football champion to be held in Gia Lai in October.

An Giang beat Kien Giang 3-1 on Sunday in the Mekong Delta while Nam Dinh fought to a 0-0 tie with Hanoi ACB on Monday in the northern province of Nam Dinh.

Lam Hai Dang, Le Chi Thanh and Tuan Anh scored the goals for An Giang while Danh Phen pulled a consolation goal for Kien Giang.

The qualifying round matches of the Thanh Nien-sponsored football tournament were exciting all the way to the final minutes.

With two byes for hosts Hoang Anh Gia Lai and reigning champs Da Nang to the final round, the 30 other teams had to compete very hard in six groups from September 5 to 20.

The qualifying rounds presented such tough competition that Group D hosts Khanh Hoa, Group E hosts Ho Chi Minh City and Group F hosts Kien Giang failed to advance.

Eight qualified teams will compete in Pleiku Town, capital of the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai, from October 7-17, and the best four teams will qualify for the international U.21 football tournament.

The international event will take place at Ho Chi Minh City’s Thong Nhat Stadium from October 23-31. It is co-organized by the Vietnam Football Federation and Thanh Nien, and sponsored by the newspaper.

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Strict punishment for illegal missionaries

The Hoa Hao Buddhist Sect’s Central Executive Committee has asked the
authorities of the Mekong Delta City of Can Tho to strictly punish
siblings Dang Thanh Dinh and Dang Van Nghia for their illegal missionary
activities.

The opinionated and extremist
activities of Dinh, 42, and Nghia, 38, both now residing in Phuoc Thoi
ward, O Mon district of Can Tho City, and their disregard of the laws
were also announced at a press conference jointly held by the Can Tho
City Fatherland Front, the Religion Committee and relevant agencies in
Can Tho on August 23.

Earlier, on Feb. 27, 2010,
Can Tho city’s relevant agencies announced the legal violations of
Dinh and Nghia, who took advantage of religious titles to illegally
teach Hoa Hao Buddhism to seek profit and cause social security
disorder.

The Hoa Hao Buddhist Sect’s Executive
Committee of Phuoc Thoi ward confirmed in its document that Dinh and
Nghia are neither Hoa Hao Buddhist followers nor Hoa Hao dogmas
teachers.

However, both Dinh and Nghia declared
themselves Hoa Hao Buddhist followers and regularly held get-togethers
without permission on the seventh and eighth days every month to
illegally carry out missionary work, offer medical check-ups, and print
and distribute almost 20,000 CDs and cassette tapes with private
religious missionary content.

At the press
conference, Hoa Hao Buddhist followers voiced their support for Hoa Hao
Buddhism, recognised by the state since 1999 with the guideline, “For
religion, for the nation” and condemned Dinh and Nghia’s illegal
missionary work which has stirred up popularity.

They requested the State protect the genuineness of Hoa Hao
Buddhism and called on Hoa Hao Buddhist followers to be vigilant of
demagogic tones of ill elements who take advantage of religious freedom
and belief to make profits and cause disorder./.

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