Tickets sold for up to $1,000 for Boca-River derby

The upcoming Argentinian football Superclasico (Buenos Aires derby) between River Plate and Boca Junior, which will take place on Sunday, has already generated a strong movement on the illegal market with a single ticket being sold for as much as $1,000.

Due to the restrictions put in place from increasing violence, only members of the local club, in this match River Plate, can enter the stadium. This has caused many fans to resort to illegal sales to secure entry into the stadium for such an important fixture, reports Xinhua.

On online sales sites, seats in the stalls are being offered for up to $1,000 when the maximum cost for associates is $80, according to official information on Thursday.

As a result of this, the River's management has launched a Premium package for between $500 and $600 but it includes other services. Services include free entry into the River Plate Museum plus a "Stadium Tour," access to a VIP room with interactive games and gourmet catering from when the stadium opens, as well as gifts and a coffee service.

In the Copa Libertadores final, where River won the championship for the first time in 19 years after defeating Tigres from Mexico 3-0, illegal ticket sales provoked a legal intervention. This led to e-commerce website Mercado Libre's (Free Market) offices being broken into and the sites partial closure.

Illegally re-selling tickets is penalised by Buenos Aires' justice system as a contravention and the punishment is a fine ranging from $200 to $3,000 or two to 10 days in prison.

River Plate will face Boca Juniors on Sunday as part of the Premier Division Tournament where the former are currently in the second place and River are behind them in the fifth place.