Kenya Gives Free Tickets for Ethiopia Match

In an effort to boost support for Kenya’s national football team, the government is giving away all the tickets to Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying match against Ethiopia for free.

In a statement, Sports Minister Rashid Echesa Mohammed said that it is the duty of “patriotic Kenyans… to support the team unreservedly”.

The minister said that a win for the national team, known as the Harambee Stars, would put them on “the brink” of qualifying for next year’s Afcon finals in Cameroon.

Ethiopia and Kenya played out a 0-0 draw when they met in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on Wednesday.

Ethiopian fans were seen filling the stadium and there has been a push on social media that Kenyans should do the same, reports the BBC’s Celestine Karoney in Nairobi.

There has been a bit of fan apathy in Kenya when it comes to football, she adds.