AFCON 2023: How Nigerians faced intimidation, ticket hoarding and threats in Ivory Coast
The 2023 African Cup of Nations may be over, but some of the stories that happened behind the scenes are starting to come to light.
The tournament concluded on Sunday with hosts Ivory Coast defeating Nigeria 2-1 in the final.
There was nothing controversial about the victory, as the elephant fought with all his might for the trophy in front of President Alassane Ouattara and thousands of screaming fans.
But every time the cameras rolled around the stadium, I couldn't help but wonder why there were so few Super Eagles supporters.
Some fans traveled to Ivory Coast to watch the final and cheer on Jose Peceiro's team. Getting a ticket turned out to be harder than a camel going through the eye of a needle.
This was made clear by Ovie Ofgala, CEO of music website NotJustOk, in a tweet on Saturday.
“#AFCON2023 finals tickets are now rarer than Bigfoot. Catching a solar eclipse will be almost easier.
“CAF and the Ivorian organizing committee have really failed in this case.
“That's the only downside to an otherwise great tournament,” Ovie wrote.
For Ayura Ajwon, general manager of 21st Century Evolution Systems LTD, getting tickets was not that difficult.
“For me, it was a no-brainer. Tickets were clearly sold out on the CAF website, but people still had them and were stocking up, so it was tough for a lot of people, especially Nigerians coming on Saturday.” I can say it was.
“We were able to buy it for $500, but others were more expensive. It was all because of your sources,” Ajwon told DAILY POST.
What was difficult for him was getting into the stadium.
“The journey to the stadium was long. In hindsight, I should have left the house around 3:30 or 4 p.m.
“We drove for an hour, were told to park and join the shuttle, which was fine, and then walked a kilometer or a little more.
“The organization looked good until we got to the gate.
“From that point on it was a disaster. Nothing to write home about. This is supposed to be the biggest match in African football,” lamented Ajwon.
The threats continued after the match.
“I think CAF needs to do better. Even if we lost the game, the home fans intimidated us.
“We returned to the lodge without clothes. Imagine if we won,” popular punter Boss Olamilekan wrote to X.
Interestingly, another AFCON will be held in 2025 and will be hosted by Morocco.
North Africans are notorious for their cunning ways and CAF will need to address some of these issues in Ivory Coast ahead of next year's tournament.
Source: dailypost.ng