Safety of Nigerian supporters guaranteed: Minister assures Nigerian envoy

The Minister for Youth and Sports, Mustapha Ussif, has assured Nigerian supporters of their security when they travel to Ghana to support the Super Eagles to play against the Black Stars in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying playoff first leg match on Friday at the Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi.

Mr Ussif made the pledge yesterday when he received a delegation, led by the Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, to discuss matters relating to the upcoming match and the need to maintain the cordial relationship between the two countries despite the importance of the match and the fierce rivalry that exist between the teams.

"I have been in regular communication with my colleague minister in Nigeria and I have informed him of our readiness to host and defeat our brothers in the two-leg World Cup qualifiers," the minister said.

Ticket allocation

He also reiterated to the Nigerian High Commissioner protocols and guidelines for the game in which CAF's approved ticket allocation of five per cent would be released to the Nigerian team for free. This gesture, he hoped would be replicated in Nigeria for the return encounter on Tuesday, March 29.

Mr Ibas thanked the minister for his reception and the preparation for the game and gave an assurance that Nigerians would abide by the protocols and guidelines to ensure an incident-free encounter in Kumasi on Friday.

Meanwhile, the National Sports Authority yesterday commenced the sale of online tickets for the match with tickets being sold for GH¢20, GH¢50 and GH¢100 for the Popular Stand, Centre Line and VIP box, respectively.