Tickets said to be sold on the black market, police now investigating.
It’s a miracle! #WorldCup fans leap from their wheelchairs: http://t.co/nndnAjWZZF pic.twitter.com/GycDhw7Bv1
— Jonathan Burton (@MKTWBurton) June 20, 2014
The Brazil World Cup has now been hit by allegations of ticket fraud after a photo of two fans leaping out of their seats despite using wheelchairs while watching Brazil play Croatia.
The pair were caught on CCTV and social media standing up out of their wheelchairs during the first game of the tournament, prompting confusion from people around them.
Tournament officials are not concerned that tickets designed for handicapped fans are not being sold on the black market to the highest bidder, with buyers of the illegal tickets using wheelchairs to pass through security with minimal detection.
But selling tickets for more than face value is a crime in Brazil with a maximum sentence of four years in prison.
That hasn’t stopped a flourishing black market with fans eager to get their hands on limited tickets with reports Brazil matches are fetching around $1800, up to ten times the face value.
There are allegedly 22 pictures on CCTV showing wheelchair bound fans standing up at the stadium and around 30 photos from members of the public.
However, proving the alleged fraud will be difficult as being wheelchair bound doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t stand up and the accusations have outraged some who have taken to Twitter to vent their anger.
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