Tickets scandal, tip of the ice berg

Thuso Palai | Wednesday March 12, 2014 14:57

I had to sit back and think hard about what had been said and reported. I was rather disappointed that people who I know were implicated, and I must say; if they are found out to be in wrong and this is proven, stern action should be taken against them. This is uncalled for, and should be nipped in the bud.

The ticket issue is not new. Every season this issue crops up. In the last few instances when it came up, two names have consistently come up, Phuthego Setete and one officer at the BPL office. I’m not for one second suggesting that they are guilty or not guilty, but merely stating that their names have always come up when this issue rears its ugly head. It was even suggested that it is one other issue that cost Phuthego Setete his job at the Premier League Secretariat. As far as I know, no one has ever been officially charged. Why people’s names are always mentioned but they never get charged. I wonder why?

I must hasten to say that this tickets issue is way bigger than the two gentlemen whose names have been mentioned. This is just the tip of the ice berg. I might not have proof, but there is a lot of ‘criminality’ going on with regards the issue of tickets. This issue make teams suffer as they lose a lot of money to unscrupulous elements who illegally re-produce and re-sell tickets. It is one of those issues that most are aware of, but is difficult to prove. Until and unless we have a comprehensive system to manage and sell match day tickets, money will always find its way into some unscrupulous people’s pockets at the expense of the teams. I sometimes shudder when I see a stadium filled to capacity and get to hear of the official amounts that the teams made. At times this just shows that either some people did not pay to get inside the stadium or they paid elsewhere but to the teams. 

I have always had a problem with why tickets are produced and printed in South Africa, and for that matter by the BPL. Some teams have in the past alleged and complained that the BPL prints more tickets and they are sold in the black market. Like I mention, this is just an allegation, but there is usually no smoke without fire. Well; one can argue for both sides but the system that is currently used has a lot of loop holes and leaves space for such allegations.

 The fact that the Premier League prints the tickets and passes them on to the teams, without ‘proper’ and strict monitoring in place  leaves loop holes and a chance for unscrupulous people to take advantage. Some team officials are also in the habit of defrauding the teams that they claim to support and love. Gate takings is where the money is, and that is where people ‘steal’. It is unfortunate that it is rather difficult to prove such wrongdoing, just as is the case with the recent allegations, but there is no two ways about it; teams continue to lose a lot of money to these unscrupulous characters’.

As things stand, there are allegations left, right and centre, but it seems like people are chickening out from taking stern action against the suspected perpetrators. As long as action is not taken, this will continue, and teams will continue to lose money.