Segun Awofadeji
4 November 2009
Bauchi — Soccer fans around the North-Eastern states as well as those from neighbouring Plateau and Nassarawa states have appealed to the Bauchi State Government to as a matter of necessity make tickets for the sub-sequent games at the centre available to enable them purchase and watch the matches.
Many of them who stormed Bauchi last Friday when Nigeria beat Argentina by 2-1 in the on-going FIFA Under-17 World Cup were disappointed as they could not get the tickets because the state government had bought over all the tickets for the 11, 500 capacity Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Memorial Stadium for a princely sum of N20m, a development that almost caused pandemonium as some of the fans tried to force their ways into the arena but for the resistance of the security personnel at the gates. Some of them who spoke to sports journalists after the match expressed dismay that they were denied the golden opportunity to watch the Nigerian lads live on duty, saying that whoever advised the Governor Isa Yuguda to go for a total purchase of the tickets actually advised him wrongly, pleading with him to make the tickets for the remaining matches available at the selling points.
They added that the decision of some hosting state governments to buy bulk tickets of the on-going Nigeria 2009 in order to pull large crowd at their various centres has caused serious havoc to football fans in the country.
Although Bauchi state government had a good intention in buying all the tickets for the three matches to enable football fans watch the matches live and free of charge, especially those from neighbouring states as arrangement had been made to provide states like Jigawa, Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba, and Yobe with free tickets to watch the matches, but others who intend to buy the tickets cannot with the development.
However some football followers have criticized that decision as they complained bitterly on the state government's strategy to pull more crowds, saying the action could easily pave way for racketeering as some tickets were distributed to either politicians or those that have no interest in coming to the stadium to watch the matches live.
Hassan Abdul who came all the way from Plateau state to watch the Nigeria versus Argentina match live was told that the state government had purchased the tickets in bulk, a development he described as very unfortunate pointing out that it has taken shine off the game of football as the real fans will not get access to the stadium to watch and cheer the players live.
It would be recalled that the Bauchi state government bought all the tickets for the three matches that will be played at the Bauchi Centre and is distributing same to some selected people particularly, government officials who are not football freaks, a development which has created racketeering with those who are privileged to get them have resorted to selling them at high prices.
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