Egypt’s soccer fans call foul on Africa Cup tickets
Several Egyptian activists on social media, sports critics and public figures have rallied against the ticket prices of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
Around 35,000 Egyptian soccer fans paid hefty sums to travel to Moscow last year to see their team defeated in its first game of the World Cup. Ever since, the fans have pinned their hopes on the Africa Cup of Nations, which will take place in five cities around Egypt on June 21-July 19.
But any hope that they can afford buying a ticket to a game was shattered with the announcement of the games' ticket prices, which are well above what the average Egyptian can pay in a country where per capita income is $200 per month.
The organizing committee of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), affiliated with the Egyptian Football Association (EFA), announced April 21 that the ticket prices for the games played by the Egyptian national team would be 200 Egyptian pounds ($11.80) for third-category tickets, 400 pounds ($23.50) for second-category tickets and 600 pounds ($35.50) for first-category tickets. A presidential box would cost as high as 2,500 pounds ($148). Tickets for games of the other teams would cost slightly less: 100 pounds ($5.90) for third-category tickets, 300 pounds ($17.80) for second-category tickets and 500 pounds ($29.60) for first-category tickets.
Following protests from social media activists, sports critics and opinion-makers, the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the EFA announced April 30 that it would intervene to get the organizing committee to review ticket prices.
