Thousands To Miss Matches…

Thousands of football fans will be missing the opportunity to watch tomorrow’s opening ceremony and maiden match of the African Cup of Nations at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra. They would not buy tickets, not because they are out of reach of their pockets; the tickets were just not available. There are reports of ticket shortages and rumours of racketeering. There are perceptions that unplanned ticket distribution and corruption will be some of the factors that could bedevil this tournament that has taken pains to organize. The current situation and the attendant uproar have hit the airwaves with fans at all four venues complaining bitterly about the inability to get tickets. Rumours also have it that Guineans are complaining about tickets that have been allocated to their fans but are nowhere to be found. Our sources have it that the situation is creating disaffection for the organizers and angering fans. People are on air vehemently accusing the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of playing games with the tickets. Others are talking about a mafia that is hijacking a huge bulk of the tickets and selling them at double rate in order to rake a windfall.If these are true, then something urgent needs to be done to ensure that every ticket is sold at its original face value and not at black market rates. Fans the Spectator has spoken to think the LOC will have a lot to answer if things get out of hand as a result of the continued shortage of tickets, when some are allegedly getting it through the back door. They cannot understand why the organizers cannot come out to boldly declare the state of affairs because people are getting worried and agitated. They believe that law enforcement agencies need to clamp down on racketeers if there are any.