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For nearly 13 years, through TicketPal Senegal, we have worked in secure ticketing, both offline and online. It is therefore with a professional eye that we followed the many reactions on social media to the way ticketing and access were handled at the Senegal vs Sudan match.
The difficulties faced by supporters, particularly in managing entry to the stadium, raise serious questions. While the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) is now being called to account, I believe it is essential not to limit the debate to its responsibility alone.
The operational responsibility of the ticketing provider, Sonatel/Orange, must also be fully examined.
One question deserves to be asked: on what criteria of expertise, experience and professional references was Sonatel/Orange selected to provide such a strategic service at an event hosting tens of thousands of spectators?
Mastery of telecommunications, networks and payment solutions does not automatically mean mastery of the event ticketing business.
Ticketing is not just about generating a QR code
It is a genuine chain of responsibilities that covers:
- marketing and distributing tickets;
- securing transactions and preventing fraud;
- managing capacity and quotas;
- checking and validating tickets at the gates;
- synchronising access-control systems;
- managing spectator flows;
- backup solutions in case of failure or saturation;
- supporter assistance and incident management.
Deploying such a solution in a large stadium requires business expertise, a proven technical architecture, full-scale testing and seamless coordination between all the parties involved.
Responsibility must therefore be clearly assigned
The FSF, as organiser and client, bears institutional responsibility for the choice of its provider, the definition of the specifications, the approval of the system and the supervision of its implementation.
Sonatel/Orange, as the provider, must for its part answer for the quality of the solution supplied, its technical reliability, its operational capacity and the proper delivery of the services entrusted to it.
No technology partnership, however powerful the company involved, should take the place of requirements for competence and professional references.
But beyond this event, another question arises: why do Senegalese companies that have invested for years in secure ticketing and built real business expertise still struggle to access this kind of contract?
This is not about questioning Orange’s contribution to Senegal’s digital development. It is about defending healthy competition, based on skills, experience, references and a real ability to deliver a service.
Through this appeal, I call on the FSF, event organisers, the relevant authorities and industry players: it is time to start a serious discussion on professionalising ticketing in Senegal.
Our sporting and cultural events deserve systems that match their ambitions. Our supporters deserve better than access problems. And our specialised companies deserve to have their expertise recognised and taken into account.
A QR code can open a door. But only real ticketing expertise guarantees control of the entire spectator experience.
El Hadji Mansour Jacques Sagna, aka Lordalajiman
Entrepreneur – Events | Media | Digital. On social media: @lordalajiman
The views expressed in this contribution are solely those of the author.
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