Organizers of the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco are boosting match attendance by letting spectators into the stadiums after kick-off for free.
This was reported by the AFP agency based on its sources from the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
For example, Wednesday’s Group F duel in Agadir between Cameroon and Gabon started in front of almost empty stands, which, despite persistent rain, were decently filled during the first half. The organizers subsequently calculated the official number of spectators at 35,200.
Similar situations were seen in the meetings in the previous days and led to confusions in announcing the attendance. For example, in Tuesday’s match in Rabat between Congo and Benin, the initial crowd of 6,703 was later almost doubled to 13,073.
According to AFP, organizers have agreed with CAF to open the stadium gates roughly 20 minutes after kick-off and allow fans to enter the stands for free.
Attendance at the Africa Cup of Nations is of great importance to the organizers with a view to the 2030 World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal.
As of today, tickets for almost all the remaining matches of the championship have been made available on CAF’s official sales platform. Ticket prices start at 100 Moroccan dirhams (roughly 9.3 euros).
