Football fans in Kazakhstan have highlighted an unusual difference in ticket prices for European home matches involving Azerbaijan's Sabah and Kazakhstan's Kairat.
As reported by İdman.Biz, the discussion was sparked by a comparison between the cost of attending Sabah's UEFA Champions League clash against Barcelona and Kairat's UEFA Conference League encounter with Greek side Panathinaikos.
Kazakh social media account goalkz_official pointed out that the Baku-based club had previously offered supporters a four-match ticket package covering home fixtures against Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli and Slavia Prague for just 9,000 Kazakh tenge (35 Azerbaijani manats).
This meant that the average cost of attending a single match under the package was only 2,250 tenge (approximately 8.4 manats).
By comparison, the cheapest ticket for Kairat's match against Panathinaikos, scheduled for October 22 in Almaty, costs 4,000 tenge (around 15 manats), while the most expensive seats are priced at 15,000 tenge (approximately 56.2 manats).
The difference prompted a sarcastic reaction in Kazakhstan.
"Barcelona for 2,250 tenge (around 8.4 manats)? No, thanks! I'd rather watch Panathinaikos for 15,000 tenge (around 56.2 manats)!" the social media post joked.
As a result, watching one of Europe's most decorated clubs under Sabah's cheapest ticket package cost almost half as much as the most affordable standard ticket for Kairat's match against the Greek side.
However, it is important to clarify that the figure represents the average cost of one home match included in Sabah's four-game package, sales of which ended on October 1.
The cheapest individually purchased ticket for the Barcelona match costs 15 manats, making it comparable to the minimum ticket price for Kairat's encounter with Panathinaikos.
Nevertheless, the difference in the status of the competitions and the quality of the opponents should also be taken into account. Fans in Baku will have the opportunity to watch one of the most successful clubs in world football compete in the Champions League, Europe's most prestigious club competition.
Meanwhile, the match in Almaty will take place in the UEFA Conference League, the third tier of European club football.
Sabah will play all their Champions League league-phase home matches at Baku Olympic Stadium. The highly anticipated encounter against Barcelona is scheduled for November 25.
