Harambee Stars vs Zambia Kick-Off Time ‘Moved’ As Kenya Grapples to Save Face at CHAN 2024
- The kick-off time for Harambee Stars' game against Zambia at Kasarani Stadium on Sunday has been confirmed
- CAF's website and other applications had indicated 8 pm, while the sold tickets showed that the game would start at 3 pm
- CAF has now clarified the kick-off time as Harambee Stars players chase progression to the next round, and President Ruto's Ksh 2.5 million
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The confusion regarding Kenya's game vs Zambia in the African Nations Championships has been cleared up.
Source: UGC
The game has been marred by a lot of off-pitch issues following the chaotic scenes witnessed on Sunday during the game against Morocco.
Fans overran security forces and accessed the stadium without tickets, contrary to the laid-down rules by CAF.
It was the third game in a row that a Harambee Stars game had crowd trouble after previous issues and fines following the DR Congo and Angola games.
Ticket sales for the Zambia game were at first put on hold as CAF reviewed the situation. The governing body then reduced the capacity of Kasarani Stadium, allowing only 60% (27,000) of the tickets to be sold.
Ticket sales were opened on Tuesday morning and sold out very quickly.
Apart from the saga involving security and ticket sales, the time of the game confused fans. CAF's website indicated that the game would start at 8 pm, while the generated tickets indicated kickoff was slated for 3 pm.
X user Aleckie Ronald said,
"CAF, FKF and LOC need to clarify the kick-off time for Kenya vs Zambia. There is a lot of confusion going on...."
Kerubo Hillary said,
"There's a need for clarification on the timing of the Zambia vs Kenya match. On the website, it's 8 PM. On the tickets, it's 3 PM. People are likely to be at the stadium way too early or miss out on the match. Which is which??"
While Brian Murimi asked,
"Is the Kenya vs Zambia match scheduled for 3 pm or 8 pm? CAF’s fixture listings show two different times. My tickets show 3 pm as well, but live score apps show 8 pm. I am confused."
What time is Kenya vs Zambia at CHAN 2024?
The confusion has now been cleared up with the game confirmed for Sunday, August 17, at 3 pm at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.
Football Kenya Federation's head of communications, Jeff Kinyanjui, set the record straight, confirming the time of the game.
"Dear colleagues, Zambia vs Kenya is on Sunday, 17th August at 3 pm EAT, Kasarani."
CAF has also moved to rectify the error on their page with the new timings, reading 3 pm and not 8 pm.
Source: UGC
The 3 pm kick-off is in line with the final group-stage games kicking off simultaneously. While Kenya will be playing at the Kasarani Stadium, DR Congo and Morocco will be playing at the Nyayo Stadium.
Disgrace of Gijon: Why final group games kick off at the same time
The practice started after the 1982 World Cup, when West Germany and Austria knew that a victory of one or two goals for the former would qualify both teams for the next round at the expense of Algeria, who were playing later that day.
The incident, which came to be known as the 'Disgrace of Gijón', saw West Germany score very early before the fixture turned into a non-competitive affair until the final whistle.
FIFA thereafter changed the rules, making the final group stage games kick off at the same time to prevent teams from knowing what results they need to remain in the competition.
It is the same rule adopted at CHAN, though it is a little bit skewed given that three groups have five teams. For instance, Angola won't be in action on Sunday while the rest of the teams are in action.
What Kenya needs to qualify for quarter-final
Harambee Stars beat Morocco to move one step closer to making it to the knock-out rounds.
Ryan Ogam was the star of the show, scoring the only goal of the game to lift a 10-man Harambee Stars to a crucial victory.
We looked at all the possibilities and compiled how Kenya could make it to the quarter-finals.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
