Bhatia told IANS that the DSA couldn't make much out of gate collection despite the fact that more than 75,000 spectators turned out for the five group matches and a full house Monday.

'It is unfortunate that despite a good turnout we were not able to generate money from tickets. In Delhi there is no culture of buying tickets to watch sport so we had to print a lot of invitations and complimentary tickets instead of priced tickets. And the number of tickets sold were neiglible,' Bhatia said.

'In the last three years, whenever the national team played we had a good crowd. Even in the 2007 edition more than three thousand people were stranded outside the stadium on the day of the final. And last year when the final of the AFC Chahallenge Cup was held here at a short notice we had a packed stadium. It is a good sign and hopefully it will be a big boost for the Durand Cup,' he said.

The century-old Durand Cup, third oldest tournament in the world, has always attracted crowds but its popularity dipped after Kolkata clubs Mohun Bagan and East Bengal stayed away in the last two years.

This year both the clubs and seven I-League teams will take part in the Durand Cup, starting Wednesday.