Fans Rush For Tv Sets

With less than three days to the World Cup in Germany, the sale of television sets in most shops in Accra has shot up by 100 per cent.

A visit to some shops in the Central Business District (CBD) of Accra and Osu over the weekend indicated that the sale of television sets has doubled and sales attendants were optimistic that patronage would increase further from this week as the tournament drew closer.

The Daily Graphic caught up with a gentleman in Accra as he carried away a new television set he had bought.

When asked whether he had bought the set because of the World Cup, he responded with excitement, “Yes! I can't go to people's homes to watch television. I have to buy one myself to watch the matches at home.”

This is the first time Ghana is making an appearance at the World Cup tournament and many football enthusiasts do not want to be left out of the ecstasy.

Ghana will play its first match against two-time champions, Italy, on June 12, 2006 in a Group E encounter, after which the Black Stars will battle it out against the Czech Republic and the USA.

Some Liberian youth at the Gomoa Buduburam Refugee Camp in the Central Region are said to have made contributions (susu) to purchase a television set in order not to miss out on this historic occasion.

Other football fans whose television sets are faulty have sent them for repairs in order not to miss the action.

According to Mr Donald Ato Dapatem of the Graphic Communications Group, although his television set was eight months old, he had sent it to a technician for thorough examination to ensure that it would survive the duration of the World Cup tournament.

Apart from television sets, antennae are also selling like hot cake.

Salesmen indicated that sale had now shot up to about nine within the past few days, adding that many of the customers were buying them because of the World Cup.

One shop sold 11 sets on Thursday, adding that it had taken stock of “World Cup antennae” for a special promotion.