FKF urged to strengthen sports systems after CHAN ticket controversies

Hundreds of fans were left frustrated on Sunday after being denied entry into the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, despite holding valid-looking tickets.

Many were denied entry after their tickets were flagged as already scanned, as most of them said they were duped by individuals who had purchased tickets in bulk, only to resell the same tickets to multiple unsuspecting buyers.

This raised questions on Kenya's ticketing system, as many fronted graft as the main flaw affecting Kenya's football space.

Former nominated Member of Parliament (MP) Wilson Sossion told Citizen TV on Monday that the ticketing system ought to be rigid lest the loopholes affecting the sport will worsen as the continental tournament continues.

"We must strengthen our sports ticketing system because if we need to monetize the creative economy and football, then we must have a very efficient ticketing system that enables FKF to collect the so-desired revenue," he said. 

"These fraudsters who come in are spoiling the broth. We need a clean system in sports. The corruption and inefficiencies within the FKF ticketing system must be dealt with."

On his part, Kajiado North MP Onesmus Ngogoyo said that the government, through the Football Kenya Federation (FKF), should devise new ways of accommodating fans during tournaments because stadiums have smaller capacities.

He argued that this will help address the ailing online ticket purchase systems.

"We also have more supporters than we can accommodate. The stampedes you see are teething problems. We need other strategies, of maybe putting screens in different places," he noted.

Concerns are now mounting over the unchecked ticket resale market around Kasarani, particularly on match days. Many of those locked out pointed fingers at rogue vendors operating just outside the stadium.

Chaos erupted on Sunday as Kenya faced Morocco, when a section of fans resorted to jumping over the perimeter fence to gain illegal access to the venue.

Despite a heavy security presence, several individuals managed to breach the stadium from one end, causing a near stampede and raising fresh fears of sanctions from the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The breach comes just days after CAF fined the FKF Ksh.2.5 million for crowd control failures and warned of stricter penalties should similar incidents occur during the ongoing tournament, co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.