Kenya’s Harambee Stars skipper Victor Wanyama was wowed by “unbelievable” crowd of Ethiopian fans who showed up to cheer their team at Bahir Dar Stadium, Bahir Dar Wednesday.
An estimated 100,000 excited fans squeezed into the 60,000 sitter capacity stadium in the capital city of Amhara region to watch the 2019 Afcon Group F qualifiers which ended in a barren draw.
The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, who was a star attraction since arriving in the country Monday, said he had never seen such a sea of humanity even in Europe.
“I had never seen such a crowd – even in Europe the largest I have witnessed is maybe 90,000 or 80,000 but yesterday I saw unbelievable crowd” Wanyama said Thursday.
The crowd created a charged and intimidating atmosphere throughout the game as they sung and clapped in a coordinated fashion.
Wanyama believes that if they can also get such a backing at home then they can beat any team.
“I think one day if we can also get such a crowd at home – even on Sunday then we can beat any team,” added.
Kenya hosts the return match Sunday at the Kasarani Stadium.
In a bid to rally a similar massive support behind the team, the cabinet secretary for sports Rashid Achesa announced free entry to Kasarani Sunday.
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The Nairobi County government on their part will offer free transport for the fans using 150 buses, the Governor Mike Sonko has pledged.
Stars jetted back Thursday night and will continue with their preparations ahead of the crucial fixture which could see them book a ticket to the 2019 Afcon in Cameroon with a win.
The Deputy President William Ruto is expected to visit their morning training session at the match venue Friday.
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