Let’s support Harambee Stars to qualify for Afcon finals today

There is a lot of excitement today among Kenyan fans as national football team Harambee Stars face Ethiopia in an Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier at Kasarani Stadium.

A victory for Harambee Stars will secure them a ticket to next year’s Afcon finals in Cameroon with a game to spare, unless the world football governing body Fifa lifts the suspension imposed on Sierra Leone. The excitement will even reach feverpitch today after the government through the Ministry of Sports said fans will gain entry free at Kasarani.

However, while we all need to support our national team considering they have a chance to book an Afcon ticket, we must assure all fans of their security and comfort. A huge crowd is expected at Kasarani today and truth be told, as a country, we have not been good in controlling surging crowds like the one we saw at the IAAF World Under-18 Championships at Kasarani last year.

The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and the police therefore have a huge task today in curbing incidents of insecurity today. We know Kasarani Stadium is a 60,000-seater, but according to the Confederation of Africa Football, we should only allow 80 per cent of the capacity to guard against a stampede since that is a reality when you allow fans to gain entry in a sports facility for free.

There was a near stampede last year at Kasarani during the World Under-18 Championships and truth be told football fans are known to be rowdy and there could be casualties today if FKF and the police sleep on the job. Although FKF has said it will issue tickets to fans upon arrival at Kasarani to keep a check on the number, more must be done because some will miss tickets and might try to force their way in.

The authorities must guard how they hand out the tickets as fans are known to be impatient and might cause chaos when the match is about to kick-off or when it is underway. Once fans enter the stadium without tickets, there will be no way of telling how many are inside and that will not only increase chances of a stampede, but we might also face the wrath of CAF and Fifa over stadium safety measures.

We also urge fans to arrive at Kasarani in good time not only for their own safety, but also not risk being locked out of the match as that is what the authorities must do once the stadium hits 80 per cent capacity. While cheering the team, the fans should know victory is not a guarantee.

Ethiopia will not be a walk over, hence they should be prepared for any result and refrain from any acts of hooliganism if the match does not end in Kenya’s favour. Harambee Stars fans must manage their expectations and support their team whenever called upon.

Kenya is just three points away from playing against Africa’s best next year in Cameroon and we should not give CAF or Fifa a reason to kick us out due to crowd trouble. Our boys and the technical bench have done the best to reach where they are now, and all they need is our support.

That we can do today at Kasarani peacefully without ugly incidents. We also urge our boys to give their best knowing that the entire country is behind them and it is time the likes of Tottenham Hotspurs midfielder Victor Wanyama and Japan based Michael Olunga among others show their prowess at the biggest stage of African football.

They will be under pressure playing in front of a packed Kasarani, but having played in another noisy atmosphere in Ethiopia, they should know better and focus on the mission ahead and that is to qualify for the Afcon. Go Harambee Stars Go.