CAPE COAST RUNS OUT OF GHANA 2008 TICKETS (Page 24)

Story: Joe Okyere, Cape Coast

ALL Ghana 2008 tickets allocated to commercial banks in the Central Region have been sold out except one.
According to the seller at the Cape Coast branch of the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB), Mr Kojo Filson, demand for the tickets continues to grow.
Flags have gone up in the Cape Coast Municipality and they are displayed on vehicles and buildings, with fans building up enthusiasm for the upcoming games.
Although no matches will be played in Cape Coast, the enthusiasm for the event continues to grow.
Last Saturday, a five-hour massive clean-up exercise was organised in anticipation of overflow fans in nearby twin-city of Sekondi-Takoradi thronging the Cape Coast Municipality.
The Mali and Benin teams are expected to lodge at the Elmina Beach Resort and, according to the Deputy Manager of the resort, Mr Francis Twum, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the tournament has requested 100 rooms to be reserved for the two teams.
He assured the teams of a refreshing reception.
Members of the public that the Daily Graphic spoke to said they would rekindle the Ghana@50 enthusiasm for the senior national team, the Black Stars, to enable them to win the tournament.
One taxi driver said he had sent his car for maintenance and other checks as he could not afford to experience any faults during the tournament.
At lorry parks and the business community around Tantri and Kotokuraba, people were seen in groups discussing the great event and the chances of the Black Stars annexing the cup for the fifth time.
Mr Samuel Annobil, a tourist agent, expressed the hope that the frenzy would get to its peak by the weekend.
He, however, said the high cost of the tournament’s paraphernalia was discouraging people from patronising it.
Charity, a paraphernalia sellers, said sales were slowly picking up.
Mr James Biney, an agent of the Daily Graphic and also one of the event’s paraphernalia sellers, said even though Cape Coast was not a venue for the matches, enthusiastic sports fans kept demanding souvenirs.