Nigeria distributes free tickets to boost attendance at the U17 World Cup
The Local Organising Committee (LOC) at the Under 17 World Cup has offered free tickets to fans in an attempt to boost attendance.
Free tickets given out in Lagos, Enugu and Bauchi during the group matches resulted in full stadia.
But Fifa continues to express concerns after the disappointing numbers turning out to watch in Abuja.
The Abuja LOC is now handing out 40,000 tickets starting with Nigeria's match against New Zealand.
"The Federal Capital Territory minister Adamu Alero has bought forty thousand tickets which we have started giving out since Tuesday," LOC Chairman Taiwo Ogunjobi told BBC Sport on Wednesday.
"We have been distributing these tickets at strategic places in the federal capital to attract an appreciable crowd on Thursday night," he said.
"To make it a lot easier for these fans, we have also provided transportation to convey them to and from the stadium".
Fifa vice-president Jack Warner has said the low attendances are an embarrassment to the country.
After a near sell-out at the group games in Enugu, Kano, Bauchi and Calabar, matches in Abuja and Kaduna have all been played in stadiums nowhere near capacity.
Kaduna fans stayed away from the second round match between United States and Italy on Wednesday after police used tear gas to disperse supporters during a group match.
But the large turnouts in other centres have been attributed to governors of these states buying thousand of tickets from the LOC and distributing them to school children and civil servants.
Nigerian fans have suddenly turned their back on football while the few who attend matches continue to boo the national team players.
Local media insists the low attendance blighting the Under-17 tournament can be traced to the woeful performances of Nigeria's Super Eagles and the Under-20 team in recent months.
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
Bookmark with:
What are these?