WATCH | ‘Messy’ new stadium ticketing system leaves fans frustrated

Spectators who attended Tuesday’s league fixture between Kaizer Chiefs and Golden Arrows at FNB Stadium couldn’t hide their frustration at the venue’s new ticketing system, with many calling for it to be scrapped as they fear the delays it caused could lead to a stampede.

The game, where the system was piloted, kicked off at 7.30pm, but at about 7.15pm, thousands of frustrated fans still hadn’t entered the stadium, as the scanners at the first scanning point refused or delayed accepting valid tickets, leading to long queues, which, in the event of bigger games, could lead to a stampede.

I understand that it’s the first game to use this new ticketing system, but I foresee a stampede in future.

—  Ishmael Mpongwe

“I understand that it’s the first game to use this new ticketing system, but I foresee a stampede in the future,” Ishmael Mpongwe, a Chiefs supporter from Benoni, told Sowetan after passing through the first scanning point.

“They must just change this system, especially for bigger games, because I don’t think it’ll work. We’d rather go back to the old system.”

Another frustrated Chiefs supporter, Thabo Nhlapo from Vaal, shared the same view, revealing that only one of the four tickets he bought online scanned correctly.

“This new system is not working,” he said.

“From what I am seeing here, there’s going to be a stampede in bigger games. I have four tickets I bought online, but only one actually scanned,” Nhlapo said.

“If you check the game there, it’s already packed, and we are a few minutes away from kick-off. They need to come up with another plan or maybe revert to using Computicket and we’ll scan at the turnstiles. This new access control has too much admin.”

A stadium steward, who spoke to Sowetan anonymously, admitted that the system was a “mess”.

“You see, there are people who’ve been queuing for more than 20 minutes now because the scanners are refusing valid tickets. This system is a mess,” he said.

The new ticketing system is operated by MyTicket, an in-house ticketing and access control initiative launched by Stadium Management SA. It is being implemented at two of the stadiums they manage — FNB and Orlando — and aims to provide a safer, more secure, and seamless digital entry experience for fans, reducing fraud and third-party issues.

Stadium Management SA managing director Bertie Grobbelaar couldn’t be reached for comment yesterday, but before the game, he had said: “By investing in our own ticketing and access-control platform, we are reducing fraud, improving ingress efficiency and taking direct responsibility for how spectators access the venues we manage.”