Carlsberg Cup final charges justified —analyst
Football analyst Charles Nyirenda has said the doubling of gate charges for the Carlsberg Cup final between defending champions Big Bullets and Mighty Be Forward Wanderers at Civo Stadium in Lilongwe on August 29 is justified.
According to Nyirenda, the fact that the potentially explosive match will be the first cup final between the rivals in 12 years makes it one of the most expensive encounters.
“This is a high-profile match that demands a lot of expenses, especially on security. Moreover, due to the capacity of Civo Stadium, there are supposed to be some crowd control measures such as hiked gate charges,” he said.
Entry to open stands has been pegged at K2 000 per person while those for covered and VIP stands have been nailed at K5 000 and K10 000 respectively. During the semi-finals last week, such entries cost K1 000, K3 000 and K5 000 in that order.
The competition’s organising committee chairperson Jabbar Alide said the decision to increase the gate charges came about as a way of generating enough income to cope with security costs and printing of tickets.
“Much as we need more people to watch the match, we have to consider the safety of the fans. Therefore, soccer lovers will have to pay more because we will almost double the security personnel as this is a high-profile match,” said Alide.
He added that the increase in gate charges also aims at meeting the high costs of printing foolproof tickets which will be sold between August 26 and 28, and the renovation of the perimeter fence at the match venue.
“I also need to emphasise that tickets will not be sold on the day of the match, therefore, fans are advised to get their tickets in good time. Places where tickets will be sold will be announced in due course,” he said.
According to Football Association of Malawi (FAM) competitions manager Gomezgani Zakazaka, FAM 2015 media accreditation cards will be the only identification for media at this match.
