Gymkhana stampede is not HCA's fault: Azharuddin

HYDERABAD: The stampede for tickets to the September 25 India-Australia T20 match was not the association's fault, claimed Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) President Mohammed Azharuddin. He also asserted on Friday that HCA was not involved in the sale of match tickets in black.

Addressing a press conference, Mohammad Azharuddin said stampede for tickets to the September 25 India-Australia T20 match was not the association's fault. "Whatever occurred at the Gymkhana grounds on Thursday absolutely disappointed me. The treatment of individuals injured in the incident is being completely handled by our association," he added.

The former India captain refuted all the allegations made against the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), saying, "How can an association be held accountable for selling tickets in black, whether they are sold offline or online? It is a concept I find difficult to comprehend. The association has never been subjected to any of these accusations."

He went on to say, "To be quite honest, it is not the association's responsibility if someone else sells tickets in black after purchasing them online or offline. However, we do not do so. I will provide all the evidence and accounts to demonstrate that the association is wholly unaccountable for the sale of tickets in black. Before I became the president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association, these kinds of situations had already occurred".

"The police in Hyderabad will deal with anyone who purchases tickets from us and then resells them illegally. The Hyderabad police have warned that anyone found selling tickets in black will be held accountable," he added.

In response to a question, the HCA president stated that the majority of the tickets were distributed as complimentary tickets and that 11,450 tickets were sold online through Paytm on September 15 for corporate bookings, 2,100 tickets were allocated for online sales, and 3,000 tickets were allotted for offline sales on September 22. The remaining 6,000 tickets were distributed to internal stakeholders, direct corporates, members, etc, he maintained.