Fever for tickets to see Messi’s national team: a “virtual queue” of two million users sold them out in 140 minutes

“May the Selection make the great Coldplay and the key 10 River” OR “Edesur, do your thing”, were some of the phrases that have accumulated on Twitter like coins with wishes in a fountain. Long the sale of tickets for the first match of the national team after the consecration to the World Cup in Qatar –140 minutes, just one less than the final against France which lasted until penalties– and distressing for the uncertainty it has generated more than one and a half million people who waited in a virtual row to keep available one of the tickets to see Argentina-Panama at the Monumental next Thursday.

As reported by the AFA, “it was the day with the highest demand for ticket sales for a national sporting event”. And he adds that 2,095,350 users entered the site to buy tickets (with a peak of 1,895,772 at the same time). “51% of users logged in on their mobile phones, while 46% logged in on their computers. The remaining 3% logged in on tablets or other devices,” the statement completed.

“If it was a physical fight, it would be in La Plata”laughed a user of the social network where the hashtag Tickets #Argentina and the name of the website sportick -which debuted as a ticket sales platform for the national team- became the top trend in Argentina during the afternoon. It was also where complaints were downloaded because the little ball which marked the advance in that queue did not move from its initial position.

Shortly after 15:00 they arrived at the newsroom of clarion the first reports of people who had completed the complicated task of buying tickets.

Blas, a college student from La Plata, bought four popular tickets at 12,000 pesos at 3:10 pm, the cheapest tickets available. “I was 2400 in line”said those who logged in simultaneously with a mobile phone and a computer that they gave up using because they entered the web “I was 50,000 years old”.

Shortly after it was the turn of Manu, a 13-year-old boy from Banfield, who from 11:45 was waiting for ticket sales to open to see Lionel Messi and company with his sister and grandfather. At 2pm, when the web was enabled with him at the 5900th consecutive position and while he sent the photos via Whatsapp to his father – who he insistently convinced to put in a credit card – he waited with the anxiety of today’s teenagers for the ball to move until the end. At 3:08 it was halfway through, but at 3:30 unlocked the matrix and the portal has returned the design of the Monumentale.

Then they started running ten minutes available to choose the locations and upload the data (name and surname and identity document) of those who will use the tickets. He first clicked on the Belgrano Alta stall and then on the San Martín Alta stall, but none of them appeared available. Until he chose Centenario Alta e he was able to purchase three tickets in exchange for 37,800 pesos ($12,000 per ticket and $1,800 for sales service).

When Gonzalo, a 35-year-old employee of an accounting firm, typed Deportick into his browser, meanwhile, there were already six thousand people ahead of him. In an encouraging figure, compared to the more than one million who lined up five minutes after the sale started, he was able to buy four popular Sívori Bajas just after 3.30pm.

at 4.20pmFinally, those who were still waiting in that long virtual queue saw the sign that said “the line is no longer active”. Moments later, the Deportick website reported that the Argentina-Panama event was exhaustedending up with the illusion of those in the networks who kept wondering if anyone had bought a ticket to see the world champions.

Demand, of course, was much higher than supply. Although the restored Monumental has a capacity of 83,214 spectators, around 40% of the seats were put up for sale. The rest, including stalls like the ones Manu tried to get in the first place, are reserved by agreements with companies, sponsors and protocol. There are also those tickets that the players have requested for family and friends and which, according to what he has been able to find out from this newspaper, would be around 100 for each.

Another not minor problem is the resale. “They complain about the influencers who have tickets but not the cuckolds who are with the resellers. Why doesn’t everyone who bullies celebrities via Twitter get together and shit on anyone who sells a popular one for 100,000 pesos? “said one Twitter user, where many were quick to offer tickets despite them being nominal and non-transferable.

Surely the offer will multiply from this Friday, when we leave at 8 the exchange in the stadium of the River with those who obtained tickets to the San Martín and Belgrano stalls. In the meantime, on Saturday it will be the turn of those who go to the Sívori, while on Monday and Tuesday the time will come for those of the Centenary. Although, be warned: To go and look for physical tickets, it will be necessary to take the QR sent by email, the credit or debit card used for the purchase and the holder’s identity document.

Despite this parallel and illegal sale that is on the way, there is happiness in AFA after the criticisms of the high prices to see the national team, with tickets that have reached 49,000 pesos, and the directions to a portal that is owned by the impresario theatrical Javier Faroniformer congressman, rene da Sergio Massa and director of Aerolíneas Argentinas until last year.

“In just 2.20 hours, fans have sold out of tickets sold on the Deportick platform. Despite income of millions of fans at once, Deportick suffered no slump and the sale proceeded satisfactorily. We thank everyone for so much love for the Albiceleste and we regret that it is impossible for all the fans to enter just one stadium.”communicated the parent company of Argentine football.

The party for the world champions is already underway and its main guests have been confirmed. The best fans in the world proclaimed by FIFA have shown that neither the economic crisis nor a minor rival, such as the “B team” of the Panamanian team, are reasons enough to miss the celebration of the third in Núñez.