Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Hussein Mohammed has issued a clarification regarding claims of ticket hoarding for the Harambee Stars vs. Gabon match on Sunday, March 23.
Leading up to the game, online reports alleged that certain unscrupulous individuals within the Federation had purchased tickets in bulk to resell them at exorbitant prices to desperate fans on match day.
However, in a press conference on Tuesday, March 25, the FKF president dismissed these claims and urged anyone with credible evidence to come forward.
"So far, we have no indication of bulk purchases as alleged," he stated. "Anyone with those allegations, please come forward with names and evidence so we can hold the responsible persons to account."
Hussein added, "We don't have that kind of evidence where we sit, but we're looking forward to anyone with evidence to come forward."
The federation boss was also tasked to address the issue of Nyayo Stadium selling out all 22,000 tickets - something which would have been a breach of Confederation of African Football rules. According to Mohammed, of the available 18,000 regular tickets, the Federation stopped selling at 15,968.
Further, 1131 VIP tickets were sold out of 1400, while 107 VVIP tickets were sold, according to the FKF boss, who admitted that there were security breaches in the build-up to the game.
"Any extra was an issue of overflow, and that happened when we had an issue on gate number 8 and gate number 2," he added.
Hussein's sentiments were contrary to a post shared by the Federation on their official page, which claimed 22,000 tickets were sold for the crucial World Cup qualifier.
Regarding the security situation at the Nyayo Stadium, the FKF admitted there were security lapses, with the Federation's boss revealing the body would collaborate with police to ensure future games are 'more successful'.
Nyayo Stadium, which was recently renovated ahead of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) tournament in August, is set to host another high-profile match on Sunday, March 30, featuring two of the country’s biggest football rivals, AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia.
Ahead of the game, CHAN LOC Chairman Nicholas Musonye warned that the stadium could face full closure if any incidents of chaos occur during or after the match.
