Premier League stars Sadio Mane and Kelechi Iheanacho could entice just 2,000 people to watch the international football friendly held between Senegal and Nigeria in London last night.
Despite a capacity of just 6,400 at Barnet’s The Hive, two thirds of the English Football League (EFL) League Two side’s stadium remained unoccupied as the two African nations faced off.
The game was organised by Eurodata Sport, which is the Nigerian Football Federation’s official Fifa Match Agent. Nigeria will also play Burkina Faso at The Hive on Monday evening.
The official attendance was 2,013, which was around 300 fewer than Barnet’s average gate during the 2015-16 season. Some football fans complained that full price tickets were as much as £25, although entry for children was just £5.
As well as Liverpool’s Mane and Manchester City’s Iheanacho, fans were also expected to be attracted by Chelsea’s Victor Moses and Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi.
Nigeria are currently top of its Fifa World Cup 2018 qualifying group, which also features Cameroon, Zambia and Algeria. They reached the second round of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and are ranked 41st in the world rankings.
Senegal, meanwhile, are second bottom in theirs – ahead of the Cape Verde Islands but behind South Africa and Burkina Faso. Senegal are ranked 31st in the world, with Burkina Faso in 38th.
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