The opening match between Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau on Saturday drew less than 37,000 spectators, falling short of the expected full capacity in the 60,000-seat stadium.
The Ivorian authorities and the Africa Cup of Nations Organizing Committee (COCAN) promised an unprecedented AFCON, investing $1.5 billion (€1.4 billion) in infrastructure, 60,000-seat stadiums, and anticipating one million visitors.
Despite vibrant scenes in streets, restaurants, and fan zones, stadiums witnessed disappointingly empty stands. The tournament commenced on January 13 with Côte d’Ivoire vs. Guinea-Bissau, aiming to fill the Alassane-Ouattara stadium in Ebimpé. However, the published attendance of 36,858 out of 60,000 seats revealed significant underutilization, dampening the festive ambiance. Surprisingly, insults from the stands targeted absent ticket-holders rather than the opposing team.
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But why?
The perplexing question arises: Why did a substantial number of ticket-holders not attend, especially when the committee had announced the sell-out of all Côte d’Ivoire match tickets well in advance? The fate of these approximately 23,000 missing spectators remains unclear.
After the match, Yacine Idriss Diallo, president of the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF), expressed bewilderment at the absences, questioning whether people hesitated due to rain, distance, or conditions. Referring to the uncertain weather and the challenging accessibility of the Ebimpé stadium on the outskirts of Abidjan, where official advice suggested leaving at midday to secure seats by the 6 pm kickoff, these were valid concerns but fell short of explaining the absence of 23,000 spectators.
On social media, frustrated Ivorian fans coined the term “TicketGate” and speculated about a black market, corruption, or an orchestrated boycott targeting the country’s president, who pinned hopes on the tournament.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and COCAN addressed the issue on Monday, revealing that out of the 60,000 stadium seats, 9,000 were reserved for staff, security, and medical teams, leaving 50,786 available. This clarified that rather than 23,142 phantom spectators, there were 13,928.
According to CAF and COCAN, only 47,000 tickets were on sale for the opening match, with 3,786 inexplicably unavailable. Distribution included sales to the public, reservations for companies and institutions, and allocation to CAF for partners, sponsors, and foreign sports federations. Although details weren’t provided, COCAN asserted that a third of the tickets were reserved for CAF, aligning with the host convention signed by Côte d’Ivoire.
The solution?
Following the opening game, Sunday’s matches suffered from low attendance, with group games played in near-empty stadiums. The Equatorial Guinea vs. Nigeria match at the Ebimpé stadium had only 8,500 spectators, a common occurrence in AFCON tournaments. The primary factor contributing to this trend is the prohibitive cost of travel to the host country, making it inaccessible for the majority of fans, except for the local diaspora and those from nearby nations like Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Mali.
Contrastingly, Monday’s matches in Yamoussoukro and Bouaké experienced improved attendance, aided by the mayor distributing thousands of free tickets, resulting in almost full stands. Organizers anticipate a growing fan presence as the competition advances. Prime Minister Robert Beugré Mambé took swift action, asserting his commitment to resolving the issue within 48 hours. Concurrently, CAF and COCAN announced an escalation in physical ticket sales at the country’s 51 outlets. The outcomes are eagerly awaited for the upcoming Ivorian Elephants’ match against Nigeria on Thursday.
