Soccer fans in Kitwe rioted on Wednesday as tickets for Saturday’s 2014 World Cup qualifier between Zambia and Sudan went on sale in selected towns.
Riot police used teargas to disperse stone-throwing fans at Kitwe Main Post Office who protested over the manner in which tickets were being sold.
Scores of fans had queued for tickets as early as 07:00 hours but the chaotic sale of tickets only commenced after 10:00 hours.
Beside in Kitwe, tickets have gone on sale in Lusaka, Kabwe, Ndola, Chingola, Luanshya, Mufulira and Kalulushi.
In Chingola, process begun around 12:30 hours several hours after fans had made long and meandering queues.
The ticket sells lasted for about an hour before officials at Chingola Post Office announced that they had run out of the much sought about northern and southern wings tickets fetcing at KR20.
This development angered fans in Chingola, who complained over the sale of tickets and suggested that FAZ should decentralise ticket sells.
Poor management is what we suffer from.
Surely how can they only have one selling point in kitwe and expect to control the situation? Tickets were only sold off at the post office in town, which means all kitwe residents had to come in town to buy their tickets. Why not sell in different locations or even different points in town and not just at the post office?
I saw how the crowds filled Matuka Avenue. Everything came to a stand still.