AFCON 2019 qualifier: Akwa Ibom govt subsidises gate fees by 50 per cent

AFCON 2019 qualifier: Akwa Ibom govt subsidises gate fees by 50 per cent The Akwa Ibom government has slashed the price of tickets to the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo to watch Nigeria against Libya this Saturday, an official told BSN Sports on Tuesday. Spectators will now pay as low as N500 for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match slated for Uyo between the Super Eagles and the Mediterranean Knights on Saturday. Paul Bassey, the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to Gov. Udom Emmanuel on Sports, said the gesture was aimed at encouraging many fans to be at the stadium to cheer the Eagles to victory. “Fans will have to pay as low as N500 to watch the crucial game from the popular stands. “Gate fee for the popular stands was initially N1,000, but this has changed now. Also, those wishing to watch from the VIP stands would have to pay N1,000 instead of the initial of N2,000. “Football fans around the world usually pay huge amount of money as gate fees to watch international games of this standard. “But here in Akwa Ibom, Gov. Emmanuel has graciously subsidised the tickets. He is a passionate sports lover and has demonstrated it in the huge investments in sports development in the state. “His gesture of subsidising the prices of tickets for the match is to ensure more fans turn up to watch the game live while supporting the senior national team to victory on Saturday,” he said. Libya are top of the group with four points, same as South Africa but with superior goal difference, while Super Eagles are third on the log with three points from two games. The Super Eagles will need to win on Saturday to have any real chance of making it to AFCON 2019 in Cameroon.