Jerome Otchere writes: E-tickets- NSA, GFA must engage

First, it was the closure of the Accra Sports Stadium to football clubs supposedly for renovation only for us to learn that, multiple musical concerts are accounting for the stadium’s shut down.

The National Sports Authority (NSA) didn’t have to be dodgy with their decision to give the facility they manage out for purposes other than football.

Then the pitch Cape Coast Stadium. After our 65th Independence Day anniversary parade, the pitch was rendered unplayable despite being scheduled for the crucial World Cup qualifier between Ghana and Nigeria. The NSA, in a failed public relations move, published pictures that left football fans heartbroken. The NSA received the flak in spite of its assurances that that the pitch would be ready for the game.

Baba Yara Stadium became the new venue for the game. NSA’s head was on the chopping board again as frustrated fans struggled to verify e-tickets for the Ghana-Nigeria duel. I personally know and interacted with fans who didn’t receive their codes after payment for their e-tickets, signaling operational difficulties with the e-tickets that ought to be appropriately dealt with before its return.

A correspondence between the NSA and the GFA on e-tickets, which I’ve sighted is likely to give the NSA away as an authoritarian government institution body issuing edicts. The latest dispositions of the NSA, which I’ve cited above, must worry close sports observer because they’ve the tendency to stifle sports development.

“Following the successful deployment of e-ticketing system [at the World Cup qualifier between Ghana and Nigeria], the NSA wishes to inform the GFA that henceforth all match day tickets shall be digitalised and sold as e-tickets online” says NSA’s letter.

The NSA asks for strict compliances as it says it would closely work with the GFA and the Ghana.gov team for the smooth implementation of the e-ticket policy. Distribution of revenue from matches remains the same as the existing sharing formula except the five percent commission for the service provider, adds NSA’s letter.

Government’s digitalisation drive is positive. Evolving developments in communication technology vis-à-vis event organisation means that traditional ways of buying tickets for matches must give way to e-tickets. At Thursday’s address on the state of the economy at the National Tescon Conference at Kasoa; Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for instance touched on the benefits of e-ticketing to our football.

“To address the inefficiency and corruption within [the football ticketing regime], the Ministry for Youth and Sports, in collaboration with the National Sports Authority and the GFA piloted an e-ticketing system for the recent World Cup qualifying match between Ghana and Nigeria at the [Baba Yara] Stadium. People who wanted to buy tickets could do so on the mobile phone.

“No need to waste time queuing for tickets… It was a successful pilot and yielded the highest ever for a football match in Ghana,” he said. “This system is now going to be rolled out to all major stadia… Digitisation is going to deal a severe blow to corruption in the ticketing for football games and result in higher revenues for clubs” he added.

E-tickets must be embraced but the NSA shouldn’t come across as despotic in its implementation. NSA’s letter to the GFA fails to acknowledge the need for open, stakeholder engagement. The GFA first sought to introduce e-tickets systematically, taking into consideration unique problems – not least the difficulties associated with it.

That’s why the GFA in its response to the NSA seeks better stakeholder engagement. “The GFA is pro e-ticket” it says but it was “told to hold on to its [e-ticket] deployment”. Now, if the coast is clear on government’s side for e-ticket implementation in football, the policy shouldn’t be forced down clubs’ throats.

The GFA says it’s “highly amenable” to e-tickets but it wants necessary stakeholder discussions. The NSA must listen for mutual benefits because as recorded with the Ghana-Nigeria pilot, e-tickets failed many fans. Even today, as fans buy e-tickets for Sunday’s Kotoko vs Hearts in Kumasi, many of them are reporting of difficulties.

Clubs’ concerns must be heard, fears of operational challenges must be dispelled and disclosures also made on the unknown to service provider who’s to take five percent of gate proceeds. The NSA must engage well on e-tickets for its smooth implementation.