The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), a beacon of football excellence and continental unity, is currently shrouded in a disconcerting shadow: the ticketing debacle. As fans eagerly converge upon stadiums across Ivory Coast to witness the spectacle of their beloved teams, they are met not only with the thrill of the game but also with frustrating queues, technical glitches, and exorbitant pricing, leaving many disheartened and disillusioned.Akosua Adjei, a respected Ghanaian journalist, candidly shared her harrowing experience, recounting the ordeal she and her friend endured while attempting to secure tickets for the group stage matches. “The queues were utterly unbearable,” she bemoaned. “We were blindsided by the requirements to load cash onto our mobile money wallets, and the labyrinth of bureaucracy, mandating passports or ID cards, needlessly complicated a process that should have been straightforward.”Compounding the issue, the black market has thrived amidst the chaos, with opportunistic brokers exploiting the inefficiencies of the official ticketing channels. “Brokers have made it distressingly easy to acquire tickets, albeit at extortionate prices,” Akosua divulged. “The entire process should have been streamlined to mitigate such exploitative practices, and all physical ticketing outlets should have been fully operational.”An unnamed source echoed these sentiments, underscoring the perplexing complexity of the CAF ticketing system and the mounting frustration among fans eager to partake in the live matches. “The entire process is needlessly convoluted,” the source lamented. “Ticketing centers listed on the CAF website are either non-functional or fail to dispense tickets, exacerbating an already dire situation.”Indeed, while online ticketing has become increasingly prevalent, particularly in European football, its integration into the AFCON framework has proven to be a stumbling block. “There’s nothing inherently flawed with the traditional physical ticket,” the source articulated. “However, the shift towards online ticketing can inadvertently complicate matters if not executed seamlessly, as evidenced by the current AFCON debacle. Our primary focus should be on ensuring unfettered access for fans.”##NAJAVA_MECA_7863368##Patrice Motsepe, the esteemed President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), acknowledged the severity of the issue, highlighting the detrimental impact of sparsely populated stadiums on the essence of African football. “The sight of empty stadiums is profoundly detrimental to the spirit of African football,” he asserted. “The rampant resale of tickets at exorbitant prices only serves to exacerbate this issue.”CAF président Patrice Motsepe on those who hoard CAF tickets as seen on the opening match of #AFCON2023 where loads of seats were empty despite the match being ‘sold out’ pic.twitter.com/XdjotBEy3r— Eric Njiru (@EricNjiiru) February 9, 2024 Motsepe acknowledged the urgent need for ticketing infrastructure reform. “This is an area in dire need of improvement, and we are fully committed to effecting change,” he affirmed resolutely.Martin Nkaari, a football ticketing expert, opined that CAF should have conducted thorough background research before settling on the ticketing system for AFCON 2023.”The sight of nearly empty stadiums in some matches has been concerning in a football-loving country,” he observed. “The fact that the Nigeria versus South Africa match wasn’t sold out was the biggest flag that something was wrong. Ticketing could have contributed to this. I tried to purchase an online ticket from Kenya, and it was impossible. The system wasn’t navigable, making it impossible to know the next process. Ideally, I should be able to buy a ticket from anywhere because I could be planning to travel for the event for a specific match and would like to secure my ticket beforehand,” Digital Revolution: Kenyan clubs need to embrace e-ticketing”Different countries have different payment systems and online shopping habits. It seems the CAF online ticketing system is an imported solution with little regard for Ivorians’ online shopping habits. CAF needs to customize its systems to each country’s peculiarities. It would be best if they sourced solutions from local experts,”##NAJAVA_MECA_7863387##Nkaari is confident a tamper proof only ticketing system, backed by proper user research, would have sorted the menace. “The hybrid system CAF has deployed in Ivory Coast is curious. Physical sale of tickets lends itself to more abuse, especially in scalping, because bulk purchase is easy and hard to limit. This creates an unscrupulous secondary market. A good online ticketing system would take care of this since you can limit the number of tickets an account can buy,” he says, “The lack of an end-to-end technology solution has also made ticketing harder for AFCON. Long queues are a sign of mismanagement of crowd control. Matches have been starting with sparse attendance but gradually filling up, clearly showing there is a crowd control issue. Morocco may have fewer challenges due to its clear fan culture and established systems. CAF needs to plug into the systems there. In East Africa, it’ll be more complicated because all three countries have different ways of doing things, and one system won’t fit all. What’s clear in Ivory Coast is that CAF has imported a system that isn’t familiar to the local fan culture, payment systems, local online market peculiarities, and lacks expertise in access control and crowd management.” He concludes. As the tournament culminates with the third-place final between DR Congo and South Africa on Saturday and the final on Sunday – hosts Ivory Coast up against the Super Eagles of Nigeria, urgent intervention is imperative to rectify the ticketing quagmire and to salvage the essence of AFCON. Simplifying the process, enhancing accessibility, and cracking down on ticket scalping are essential steps towards revitalizing the integrity and vibrancy of one of Africa’s most esteemed sporting events. Failure to address these concerns risks tarnishing the legacy of AFCON and disenfranchising the passionate fans who form its beating heart. Ticketsasa’s Perspective: Why Kenyan Sports Must Embrace Online TicketingTicketing for fans should be a seamless activity for fans in Morocco in 2025, East Africa in 2027, and all future events. The work is cut out for CAF and member associations.
