ON Tuesday, March 29, 2022, Nigeria’s Super Eagles played the Black Stars of Ghana in the return leg of the final play-off for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja.
The 60,000-capacity stadium was filled to the brim in the game which ended in favour of the Ghanaian team.
The Black Stars had played goalless in the first leg in Kumasi, Ghana, but drew 1-1 with the Eagles in Abuja.
The Abuja match was so well attended that scores of other football fans who could not access the main bowl to cheer the Eagles crowded outside the stadium.
The match ticket for regular sold for N2,000 while the VIPs were sold for N10,000. The ICIR learnt there was a VVIP ticket category which sold for N20,000. This category was confirmed by the president’s special assistant on social media, Bashir Ahmed, via his verified social media handle. However, he did not state the cost.
The NFF denied claims that there was a VVIP category and also that there was a ticket for N20,000.
Independent findings by The ICIR revealed that about 1,000 white seats were set aside for executives at two varying ticket types identified as Fanfest and Fanfestplus.
This newspaper could not establish the exact sum allotted to those ticket types, but they were valued higher than the regular.
Notwithstanding, by simple estimate, if all the 60,000 spectators procured regular tickets for N2,000, that would mean they have ultimately paid N120 million. This is based on the estimated value of the stadium’s total capacity.
This includes the ‘over 20, 000 free tickets’ jointly bought for fans by the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports and the NFF.
The ICIR would later find out that the NFF and the sports ministry were yet to pay the ticket fee, contrary to the claim widely publicised in the media.
Twenty four hours to the match, Ahmed had announced the early closure of public offices to encourage civil servants to watch the game.
This was part of the strategies to drum support for the national team which may not be unconnected to the large turnout at the stadium.
