The World Cup/Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between Kenya and Zimbabwe at Nyayo Stadium on Saturday was nearly cancelled by the football governing body FIFA due to security resons.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Gerald Chege, an executive member of the Harambee Stars management committee, and chairman of Thika United Football Club who is part of organizing the international matches, said that they had to move fast and give security guarantees to the world soccer governing body to escape the postponement.

An unimpressed Fifa security official, Amri Shaheen, had recommended that the match be called off because of the way fans misbehaved at the gate during the Kenya versus Guinea game last Saturday, when the Venue was filled up beyond its 35,000 capacity.

As a result, organizers have appointed a security officer to the committee, appointing Khalif Shabell of the Armed Forces, whose function is to oversee all matters concerned with safety.

“I can assure you that there will be no repeat of what we saw during the match between Kenya and Guinea. We have concluded creating an elaborate and integrated security arrangement,” Shabell said at the press conference.

He added that they will involve at least 400 security personnel and that the number may even double for comprehensive arrangements are being outsourced.

Roads towards the stadium are yet to be closed and the arrangements are to be done in order to beef up security and avoid a repetition of last weekend’s game.

He said the sale of tickets had contributed to the chaos that ensued, with many ticket holders and non-ticket holders rapidly building up at the stadium and straining the little security and facilities.

A security firm, G4S, has been contracted to sell the tickets today and tomorrow through their major outlets.

Tickets can be bought in Dagoretti (Caltex petrol station), Westlands (OiLibya petrol station), Buruburu (next to Uchumi Supermarket), Moi Avenue, Afya Centre, Kencom, Hilton, Witu Road (G4S headquarters).

Ticket prices remain the same, at Sh300 for the centre stand, and Sh100 for the terraces. Organizers will print 27,500 tickets, that is 80 percent of the stadium capacity, in line with Fifa regulations, according to Chege.

Another firm will verify the tickets at the stadium with Chege warning that anybody who attempts to enter the stadium with a fake ticket will be arrested. He said investigations were, in fact, going on to find out if fans gained access to the stadium with fake tickets last Saturday.

Official figures released show the match raised Shs 2,598,300, which is well below the Sh3.5 million one would expect, calculating that each of the 35,000 fans paid Sh100 or more.

“We are carrying out an audit and we will see how to proceed based on the findings,” he said.

In a related development, those who fail to secure tickets need not worry after the Harambee Stars management committee struck a deal with national broadcaster KBC to transmit live Saturday’s match. Organisers are also in negotiations with several radio stations to offer live broadcast of the match.