CHAN 2024: CS Murkomen Warns Ticketless Fans Ahead of Harambee Stars' Crucial Game
- Only fans showing their digital tickets will be allowed entry into the Kasarani Stadium for the Kenya versus Zambia match this Sunday
- Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen asked those without the tickets to stay away
- This followed measures sanctioned by CAF, which restricted the stadium to 27,000 fans only after incidents of security breaches on Sunday, August 10
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Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has asked football fans without tickets for the Harambee Stars match against Zambia to keep off the Kasarani Stadium.
Source: Twitter
The home team is slated to face off with Zambia on Sunday, August 17, a crucial game that will decide Kenya's spot in the quarterfinals of the ongoing 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) football tournament.
What message did Murkomen send to Harambee Stars fans?
With the high-stakes match coming up, Murkomen urged the public to comply with the requirements of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which sanctioned certain measures after the security breaches during the Kenya vs Morocco match last Sunday.
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The CS appreciated the significance of the fans in the stadium, but insisted on the protocols being observed.
He asked those without tickets to stay out of the stadium
"The fans are extremely important for us, extremely important to have the fans. In fact, the fans are always called the 12th player, and we do not want to miss the opportunity to have the (0:12) fans or to play before our own fans. I, therefore, from a security perspective, would like to beg all Kenyans to really avoid going to the stadium unless you have a ticket," he said.
Why Kipchumba Murkomen pleaded with Kenyans
Murkomen observed that any further breaches would have negative implications for the national team and Kenya's fast-rising profile in football.
Kenya has made strides in its infrastructural preparedness for high-level sporting events, and hence, bad conduct by certain members of the public should not reverse such gains, the CS suggested.
"It is going to reflect badly on us. It is going to give us security problems. If the capacity of the stadium is exceeded, you can easily have a massive disaster and a security challenge for all of us. I want to request Kenyans, for the sake of our team, and if we all want Arambe Stars to reach finals, let us respect the regulations that CAF has put in place and even the penalties they have given us to play 60 per cent of the capacity. Let us just abide by it, and let us buy the tickets the way it is required. It is important for us to do so," he added.
The same position was underscored by Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Hussein Mohammed.
Mohammed noted that, as much as the place of the fans is significant, the rules of the game cannot be overlooked.
He urged those without tickets to catch the match remotely on their televisions instead of breaching the venue.
"For Sunday’s game at Kasarani, only come if you have an original ticket. No ticket? Support the team from home on KBC or Azam. Forced entries risk punishments and sanctions against our game - let’s protect Kenyan football together," he said.
Source: Twitter
What regulations did CAF set for Kenya?
Murkomen and Hussein's pronouncements came after CAF directed a host of measures to deal with the incidences of security breaches.
This was after thousands of fans who had no tickets scaled the perimeter walls around Kasarani and made their way to the venue.
According to CAF, such ugly displays pose a danger to the safety of the rightfully ticketed fans and staffers managing the matches.
The confederation capped the attendance at 60% of the capacity (27,000 fans), warning that further breaches would see the Harambee Stars matches relocated to venues outside the country.
Kenya is cohosting the 2024 CHAN tournament alongside Uganda and Tanzania.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
