One of the most frantic times in Kampala, is a Cranes match-day. The whistles, sound of vuvuzelas and car horns, racing boda-bodas transporting fans, and then the heavy traffic jam engulf the entire city centre and the suburbs alike.

For many informal businesses, it is a moment to make a kill on drinks and eats. Yet, even with that considered, nothing sells like hot cake as a Cranes match-day ticket. Normally, the cheapest goes for Shs 20,000 ($7) on the official pricing scale, although on match-day it can go for over twice that to Shs 50,000 ($15) because of the high demand.

However, at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, where Uganda is, and opened its account against Ghana last night for the first time in 39 years, the price for the match ticket was equivalent to the cost of a 300ml soda in the coastal town of Port-Gentil. It was such a variance from what most Ugandans have been used to over the years, which is a mystery.

For only 500 Gabonese Francs (Shs 2,900), Ugandan fans were able to access the open stands. This is even less than what fans pay for tickets in the Uganda Premier League: “Of course it is a big surprise to me,” said Julius Kabugo, the KCCA FC chairman.

He added, “I would have expected it to be a little more pricey than this, to be honest.”

So did many other people. But according to Toko Kossi, a guide for the local (Gabon) organizing committee, and a football fan, the hosts need to see their fans in the stadiums watching games. And the only way to attract them, is by making the tickets affordable.

Decolas Kiiza, the Fufa finance director, told The Observer that Caf is doing everything in its power to try and see that stadiums are full.

In a number of past Afcon tournaments, like the one in South Africa in 2013, the attendance were not that good, which did not paint a good picture of African football’s greatest showpiece.

The perception it created was that the Afcon was not attracting much interest. And yet for sponsorship to come into the game, numbers are key. Numbers are one major reason why the English Premier League has become so lucrative, attracting multi-million dollar sponsorship deals.

And for African football to grow amidst all the competition it is faced with, something must give. Notably, there is thinking that Caf, let alone the hosts Gabon, are not making a kill out of ticket sales right now, considering the low pricing.

But as Simon Ssekankya, the proprietor of Hardware World, reasoned it out, long-term investments do not yield immediately.

He said: “I can imagine Gabon may not reap so big from selling match-day tickets. But how about the money we are spending in their hotels and all the extra services?”

In the long run, Gabon is boosting its tourism. Not many Ugandan fans would have imagined to visit Gabon in their lifetime. But the occasion of the 2017 Afcon has compelled them to, paying a minimum of $50 per night on average for accommodation alone.

With close to 300 fans said to have flown in, that totals to at least $15,000 a day for the Gabonese economy. Yet, the fun of it all, ultimately came down to paying only Shs 2,900, the lowest price for a soda in Gabon, to watch two football matches, Ghana/Uganda and Egypt/Mali.

For a Ugandan in Gabon, it does not get any merrier, certainly.

jovi@observer.ug