Min remark blamed for low turnout

Thiruvananthapuram: The blame for the poor crowd turnout at the Greenfield Stadium has been put on sports minister V Abdurahiman for his statement that the poor who cannot afford the ticket rates should not come to watch cricket.
The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) expressed concern over the low turnout. “The sponsors are concerned since there has been a very poor turnout for the match. This could be a setback for the hopes of the KCA to stake a claim for the World Cup match at this stadium. The cricket associations of other states might utilise this opportunity to make their claims for the venue,” said KCA president Jayesh George.
He said that the ticket rates were fixed after consultations with the government and the sports minister was also present during the discussion. The statement made by the minister should have been avoided and it has created a negative impact. Other factors may also have contributed to the poor crowd turn out, he said.
Shashi Tharoor MP, who was at the stadium to watch the ODI, said the minister’s statement had a very bad impact. “The minister is not going to lose anything. We are going to lose with the poor turnout of people. It is giving a very bad message. This would badly affect the future prospects of the matches here,” he said.
However, CPM state secretary M V Govindan defended the sports minister and said he had not insulted the poor. “He has not insulted the poor and his statement has not affected this match at all. The people of Kerala irrespective of the financial status love all kinds of sports and are great enthusiasts,” he said. “The minister had only expressed concern over the fact that the ticket rates are not affordable to the poor and the media gave a wrong interpretation to what he had said,” the CPM state secretary said.