'Stay at Home!' - Angry 2024 CHAN LOC Warns Ticketless Harambee Stars Fans Following Heavy CAF Sanctions

Kenya’s 2024 African Nations Championships (CHAN) Local Organising Committee, led by chairman Nicholas Musonye, have made a rallying cry to Harambee Stars fans to avoid “bad behavior” for future Harambee Stars games at the ongoing tournament.

On Wednesday, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) heavily sanctioned Football Kenya Federation. Not only did they ask for the number of tickets sold for games being held at Kasarani Stadium to be slashed to just 27,000 straight from 48,000, they also fined the organisation Ksh 12.8 million over crowd control issues witnessed so far.

The federation also ordered the LOC to create a campaign, raising awareness over crowd control, as well as the launching of fanzones - with six of them set to be officially opened for their clash against Zambia next Sunday.

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During all of Harambee Stars’ opening three group A matches against DR Congo, Angola and Morocco respectively, various incidents were witnessed, with the worst of them all being witnessed during their third clash.

While grateful for the overwhelming turnout, Musonye said a small minority had crossed the line.

“CAF have fined FKF over incidents in our last three matches, and this cannot continue,” he said. “We deeply appreciate the massive support from Kenyans at Nyayo and Kasarani, but we are disappointed by the few who ignored the rules, broke into the stadium, and even defied police officers on duty.

“Our message is simple: if you don’t have a ticket, stay away from the stadium. These rules are clear — both CAF’s and our own local laws — and they exist to keep everyone safe.”

Musonye revealed that emergency meetings have been held with FKF, government officials, and the Ministry of Interior to prevent a repeat of the chaos.

 “We want our fans to come in large numbers, but they must do so responsibly. Let’s protect the beautiful game and our country’s footballing reputation.”

With the Harambee Stars chasing a quarter-final spot, Sunday’s match will be a test of discipline both on and off the pitch. For Musonye and CAF, the hope is that the spotlight remains on the players’ performance — not the crowd’s behaviour.