The Zambia Football Federation wants to purchase 20,000 tickets for the match against the Super Eagles of Nigeria at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in South Africa.
Zambia and Nigeria are to play in Group C at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.
Chief Communications Officer, AFCON Local Organising Committee (LOC), Sipho Sithole, confirmed to NAN in Johannesburg yesterday that Zambia had requested for the tickets.
“I must tell you that Zambia Football Federation has asked us that they want 20,000 tickets for their match against the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
“But the federation is also purchasing that volume of tickets for every match that they will be playing,’’ Sithole said.
Meanwhile, the Zambia government is leaving no stone unturned in its bid to ensure the Chipolopolo retain the Africa Cup of Nations title it won last year by setting aside K5.02 billion (about N150m) in next
year’s national Budget for the team’s preparations ahead of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals to be hosted by South Africa.
Sports Minister Chishimba Kambwili has since appealed to the soccer-loving fraternity and the corporate world to come on-board to supplement Government’s effort.
Kambwili said this in Parliament on Tuesday evening when he issued a ministerial policy statement in support of the 2013 estimates and expenditure for the Ministry of Sports.
“To our gallant boys, I would like to urge them to defend the Cup and assure them of government support,” he said.
He said Zambia’s lifting of the AFCON trophy brought joy to the country which followed massive financial support to the national soccer team by the Government amounting to K12 billion compared to the
K210 million budget by the MMD.
He said from the tournament, the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) received about K10 billion (US$2 million) part of which was spent on the purchase of land on the Copperbelt where the association would
construct a centre of excellence in football.