The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has suspended the sale of tickets for Kenya’s Group “A” life-or-death match against Zambia in the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN). The 48,000-capacity Moi International Sports Centre (MISC), Kasarani, in Nairobi, will stage the tie on Sunday at 3 p.m.
The ban follows a series of alarming safety and security breaches at Kasarani in recent matches, during which fans have forced their way into the stadium. These have led to CAF investigations and cost the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) millions of shillings in fines.
Previous games have been marred by broken gates, unauthorized entry by fans without tickets, overcrowding beyond safe capacity, a media centre invasion, and the use of tear gas to contain chaos.
The most recent breach occurred on Sunday during the Harambee Stars’ clash with Morocco. A large crowd overwhelmed security, storming the gates as guards looked on.
Frustrated ticket holders reported being turned away after being told their tickets had already been scanned. Investigations point to a ticket scam racket in which individuals buy tickets in bulk, make and sell counterfeit versions to unsuspecting fans at a profit. The victims report having paid Ksh300 to Ksh1,000 for the counterfeit passes.
Outside Kasarani, a thriving black market sells illegal tickets on matchdays without any fear. The official prices are Ksh200 for regular, Ksh500 for VIP, and Ksh1,000 for VVIP, for one match during the month-long event.
CAF has already fined FKF Ksh2.5 million for poor crowd control and threatened more severe action in case of a repeat of such incidents. The government and FKF have jointly appealed to the fans to be disciplined and follow stadium rules, warning that further disturbances will not be tolerated.
CAF’s disciplinary and safety committees are reviewing the latest incident and will determine the next steps.
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