As the on-going Russia 2018 World Cup soccer fiesta progresses, viewing centres and cable television (TV) service providers appear the biggest beneficiaries , as football enthusiast in Nigeria defy financial challenges to follow the Super Eagles who on arrival in Russia stole the show with their outfit.
Jaime Wright, a sports correspondent for Mailonline, a United Kingdom (UK) based publication on Monday 11 June wrote that the Super Eagles have won the World Cup fashion with a caption that reads, “Nigeria steals the show… again! After taking World Cup win for fashion, now Super Eagles reveal their stunning travel outfits for trip to Russia”.
The football analyst wrote in his lead that, “Once again, the Nigerian national team have taken their World Cup style to a whole new level as they set off for Russia on Monday. They have made a name for themselves as a team to watch at this summer’s tournament in Russia, not just for their exciting, fast-paced style of football but for their dress sense too. First it was the announcement of their tournament kits that sent football supporters crazy. Now it is their travel attire that has got everybody talking,” said Wright.
In solidarity with the Super Eagles, notable Nigerians have taken to their social media platforms to show support for their darling team at the Russia 2018 football fiesta. Top among the tweeters is the Senator representing Kaduna South, Senator Shehu Sani.
The serving senator wrote on his Twitter handle @shehusani, “As the #Russia2018 FIFA world cup commences, I join other Nigerians to pray for the victory of our Super Eagles. We hope that for once this precious, glamorous but elusive cup will leave Latin America and Europe and come to Africa.”
However, the total number of World Cup tickets sales by country as at Thursday when the tournament started in Russia stood at 2.4 million with the host nation accounting for over 800, 000 tickets. The Russia 2018 World Cup tickets sold were in four categories, while the lowest sold ticket was at $80 (US dollar).
Tickets allocated to Russian fans as at Thursday were 871,797, while the top ten nations with the most tickets at the football fiesta are United States of America (USA), Brazil, Colombia, Germany, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Australia, and England. The USA accounts for 88,825 tickets while others Brazil 72,512; Colombia 65,234; Germany 62,541; Mexico 60,302; Argentina 54,031; Peru 43,583; Chile 40,251; Australia 36,359; England 32,362 1,427,797 tickets respectively, therefore accounting for 54 percent of international tickets sold.
Despite missing out from the global football tournament, the US will send more visiting supporters to the Russia 2018 World Cup, while tickets for the 64-game competition have been sold-out according to the world football governing body, FIFA.
Furthermore, six of the top ten countries with the most tickets are in the Americas, which means football fans in both North and South America are willing to travel long distances to support their teams at Russia 2018.
The absence of Italy, Netherlands, Republic of Ireland and Chile, that saw about 13,000 cheering fans during last year’s Confederations Cup, has raised the prospect of lower spectator numbers for some of the games at the World Cup, especially the round of 32 after the group stages, than originally anticipated.
Even though FIFA had made provision to accommodate more fans at Russia 20018 according to a statement released by FIFA that the tickets will be exclusively on sale on FIFA.com/tickets; “We have put in place a ticketing system that will enable all fans a fair chance to secure tickets. Throughout history, fans have made a key contribution to the fascination of the FIFA World Cup. Russia promises to be a unique continuation of this history, with outstanding organisation and a great atmosphere in the stadiums,” said FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura.
However, football analyst fear games at the World Cup, especially at the round of 32 and the quarter finals might witness low turnout should the host nation, Russia fail to progress after its impressive 5-0 thrashing of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on match day one for the opener.
Notwithstanding the fears of traveling football fans to Russia owing to the extreme cold climatic condition, FIFA has said about 100, 000 tickets that were previously reserved for other FIFA constituent groups will be directly available at FIFA.com/tickets on a first-come, first-served basis in accordance with the FIFA ticket sales structure.
The provision includes tickets for all matches and includes category 4 tickets, which are exclusively reserved for Russian residents, and for selected games. Therefore, fans are advised to place their orders on the official FIFA ticketing sales portal as soon as tickets go on sale with expected high demands that could result in tickets sold out.
However, another added advantage to the World Cup for sports enthusiast is the special World Cup offer by cable TV providers to wow football fans for the tournament.
For instance, one of the pay TV channels slashed the prices of its decoder for the World Cup period to help more football fans connect with the beautiful game. According to a statement by the company, its HD decoder, which includes a dish kit and one month subscription on the compact bouquet, will sell for N8, 500, which is a 14 percent decrease from the previous price of N9, 900, while a decoder on its sister channel that comes with antenna and one month subscription will sell for N5, 90
“The FIFA World Cup is football’s biggest event, featuring the best players and national teams all fighting for one ultimate prize. We are proud to say that we have been broadcasting the football tournaments since 2006 and this edition won’t be any different as we will be showing all 64 matches of the World Cup Live and in HD on DStv and GOtv.
“Nigerians can enjoy all the games from the comfort of their homes and on the go with up to five mobile devices via the DStv Now app. We will also be providing exclusive live coverage from Russia with expert analyses from the biggest football professionals among other benefits,” said Martin Mabutho, General Manager, Sales and Marketing for Multichoice Nigeria.
However, subscribers on the StarTimes platform are not left out of the world cup goodies as hinted by the company’s Brand and Marketing Director, Qasim Elegbede that all subscribers will enjoy the world cup matches irrespective of their bouquet.
“We are working to ensure that every StarTimes subscriber enjoys the thrilling moments of the World Cup in HD right in the comfort of their home. As part of our promise to deliver affordable entertainment to every African home,” said Elegbede.
Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date
Open In Whatsapp
