The organizers of the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco allow fans free entry to the matches, which as a rule start in half-empty stadiums, AFP claims.
The Group F match between Cameroon and Gabon in Agadir on Wednesday has started in front of almost empty standsbut the stadium filled up during the first half, despite the heavy rain. Organizers later said that 35,200 fans attended the game in the 45,000-seat stadium.
A source from the Confederation of African Football told AFP that the organizers of the tournament allowed fans free entry to the stands. A similar situation was repeated in a series of matches in the first round of the competition.
Organizers initially said 6,703 fans had attended the Group D match between Congo and Benin in Rabat, but later figures emerged that by the end of the match there were 13,073 fans in the stands.
The organizers, in agreement with the governing body of African football, they open the stands about 20 minutes after the start matches so that fans gathered in front of the stadium could enter without paying a ticket.
Organizers in Morocco want to ensure that they are stadiums full in order to build a good reputation ahead of the 2030 World Cup, which they will jointly organize with Spain and Portugal.
The ticketing platform said tickets for the matches between hosts Morocco and Mali and Zambia, as well as Algeria and Burkina Faso and Algeria and Equatorial Guinea, were sold out.
(Hina | Photo: X)
