HT Report: Hundreds of Fans Jump Fence to Access Kasarani Stadium as Kenya Lead Morocco in CHAN Clash

Football fans stormed into Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani on Sunday afternoon, jumping fences and forcing their way past barricades and security checkpoints ahead of the African Nations Championship (CHAN 2024) match between Kenya and Morocco.

The dramatic scenes unfolded after hours of waiting in long queues outside the venue, with tensions boiling over as supporters grew impatient before the highly anticipated Group stage encounter.

Videos circulating on social media showed huge crowds massed outside the stadium’s gates, some managing to pass through official checkpoints, while others scaled the perimeter fence and broke through barricades.

Within moments, the outer security collapsed, and hundreds of fans streamed into the 48,000-seater arena.

Security personnel, visibly overwhelmed, could do little more than watch as the surging crowd jogged past them, eager not to miss a moment of the action.

Inside the stadium, however, the situation appeared more controlled, with additional officers ensuring order in the stadium.

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The rush came amid earlier public complaints about difficulties in purchasing tickets.

Many supporters claimed online sales were inaccessible, while others alleged that the government had allocated tickets to handpicked groups to avoid hostile chants during the event.

On the pitch, Morocco began strongly, dominating the opening stages. In the 20th minute, Bouchaib Arrasi became the first player to be cautioned after catching Kenya’s Ryan Ongam late.

Just two minutes later, Morocco were forced into an early change, with Youness El Kaabi replacing the injured Ayoub Mouloula.

Kenya, however, grew into the game and looked dangerous on the counterattack through Byrne Omondi and Ben Stanley Omondi.

Harambee Stars' persistence paid off in the 40th minute when Ryan Ongam pounced inside the box, rifling a low strike past Moroccan goalkeeper Elmehdi Al Harrar to send the home crowd into a frenzy.

The atmosphere inside Kasarani has been electric with chants echoing around the stands despite the earlier fence-jumping chaos. Both sets of supporters are desperate for a result that could shape their CHAN 2024 campaigns.

Kenya’s role as a co-host of the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations, alongside Tanzania and Uganda, has placed additional scrutiny on its organisational capacity.

In the closing stages of the first half, Kenya were reduced to 10 men when Chrispine Erambo was shown a straight red card following a reckless tackle, adding further drama to an already heated contest.

Sunday’s crowd control issues may raise questions for future major events, though for now, attention remains firmly on the pitch as Kenya head into halftime leading Morocco 1-0.

Harambee Stars XI: Byrne Omondi, Mohammed Siraj, Mike Kibwage, Edward Omondi Otieno, Bonface Muchiri, Chrispine Erambo, Lewis Bandi, Ryan Wesley Ogam, Ben Stanley Omondi, Manzur Suleiman, Sylvester Owino