African Cup of Nations - low crowds, why? | PASOTI
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African Cup of Nations - low crowds, why?

jespafc

jespafc

✨Pasoti Donor✨
🌟Sparksy Mural🌟
Oct 23, 2005
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www.johnstanlake.com
Anyone been watching any of this?

I've tried to catch a few games, as it's typically a pretty entertaining tournament. I have to say though, so far it hasn't quite lived up to expectations, but nice to see Burkina Faso doing well.

Anyway, the hosts are Gabon, and I was just wondering why crowds have been so low. In all three QFs so far there have been so many empty seats. Perhaps it's because the host nation themselves have not succeeded, but I really hope it's not due to high ticket prices.

Anyone else have any theories?
 
LeonTheGreen

LeonTheGreen

Dec 23, 2010
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Plymouth
African football is in a lot of turmoil at the moment. Nigeria and South Africa didn't qualify (two of the footballing nations of Africa) and no African team did anything in Brazil in 2014. I couldn't give you a reason for the low crowds, but Gabon isn't an overly large country and with two of the biggest footballing nations of Africa in the tournament, that could be a reason as to why crowds are low.
 
jespafc

jespafc

✨Pasoti Donor✨
🌟Sparksy Mural🌟
Oct 23, 2005
2,110
816
www.johnstanlake.com
Ah ok yeah, good point. I didn't realise those two nations failed to qualify.

Such a shame as I have seen some cracking games in this tournament in the past. I remember when I lived in Rwanda and football was an absolute passion for so many people there. Whenever a premiership game was televised, bars, shopping malls, etc, would be packed with people watching the game.

However, when I went to see Rwanda play (against Gabon actually!) in a WC qualifier, the stadium was half empty. I guessed it was down to the fact that people had no hopes for the national team, but perhaps it's just a case of people are more interested in the foreign leagues, the stars, the winners, the champions?
 
Ham Green

Ham Green

May 22, 2006
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Gabon can afford to host AFCON because it's an oil-rich country.

However, unlike our dear western leaders, the Gabonese elite don't even bother with the pretence of a trickle-down economy. As a result, most Gabonese are very, very poor. A wage of $100 a month is well above the average. This is nothing more than yet another vanity project for a president who has a habit of proudly displaying his wealth while his people starve.

Add to that the increased availability of top-class football (it's not difficult, for those who can afford it, to get a dodgy stream somewhere), and the relative decline of African football over the last 7 years, and you have a population that either can't afford it or doesn't care.
 
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