Paul Erewuba
Hundreds of Super Eagles fans who thronged the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba yesterday to watch the friendly match between the Cranes of Uganda and the Super Eagles of Nigeria, ended up not watching the interesting encounter, even after buying their tickets.
The Ahmed Musa-captained Eagles, after a 1-1 draw with South Africa in one of the AFCON qualifiers, engaged the Cranes in a tune up encounter ahead next year’s Nations Cup in Cameroon.
However, hundreds of fans who had come from far and near to watch the match could not, even after they bought their ticks.
A fan who gave his name simply as Romanus told SportingSun on phone that he came all the way from Kano to watch his Super Eagles idol, Ahmed Musa, but to his chagrin, after flying to Asaba, he got to the Stephen Keshi Stadium, bought his N2,000 ticket, and on getting to the gate, he was turned back.
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“I was shocked that the ticket collector turned me back. He claimed that the stadium was already filled to capacity. And I asked him how? But he could not give me a satisfactory answer. And I ask, are tickets not sold based on the availability of seats number. If they knew that the seats had already been occupied, why were they still selling tickets?”
Another fan who said his name was Chuks from Onitsha, stated that after he was turned back, he decided to watch the match in at a pub after buying about three bottles to cool off.
‘It is unfortunate. At this time of development, we are still not organised,” he fumed.
This is the eighth time both teams will be meeting, with the Cranes having an upper hand having emerged victorious on four occasions.
Forty years ago, dangerous striker Phillip Omondi scored a brace to stop the Eagles from reaching the final of the Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana. They also lost to the East Africans 2-1 in Kampala in a 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier but the Eagles advanced on aggregate having won the first leg 1-0 in Abeokuta.
In their last encounter three years ago in Uyo, the Ugandans beat the Eagles 1-0 courtesy of Farouk Miya’s powerful header to spoil former goalkeeper and captain Vincent Enyeama’s fun on his 100th appearance for the national team.
