By The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has clarified why fans noticed empty seats during recent CHAN 2024 matches at Namboole Stadium, even after ticket sales were declared “sold out.”
According to Dr. Dennis Mugimba, the chairperson of the CHAN local organising committee CAF’s policy is to sell a limited percentage of available seats rather than the stadium’s full capacity, primarily for safety reasons.
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“CAF never says seats are sold out they say tickets are sold out. The number of tickets is always lower than the actual stadium capacity to ensure safety and proper management in case of emergencies or stampedes,” Mugimba explained.
Namboole Stadium previously had a seating capacity of 40,000, which was reduced to 38,000 following renovations. The adjustments factored in obstructed seats where views were blocked by structural columns and the expansion of the Media Tribune, which is reserved exclusively for CAF-accredited journalists and commentators.
Mugimba added that empty seats are deliberately spread across all 16 sections of the stadium, including VIP and VVIP areas, rather than left in one section.
“This arrangement is not unique to Uganda. The same has been done in Kenya and Tanzania for CHAN 2024 matches. It’s about ensuring fan safety,” he emphasized.
CAF confirmed that 34,000 tickets had been sold for the match days in question, in line with its safety protocols.
