Senegal’s Football Federation (FSF) has apologised to supporters who faced serious access problems during the national team’s 4-1 victory over Sudan, despite reporting that 41,994 tickets had been sold without exceeding the stadium’s capacity.
The match marked the Lions’ return to Stade Leopold Sedar Senghor, but several fans said they were left waiting for hours outside the entrances despite holding valid tickets. Others reportedly reached their allocated seats only to find them already occupied.
The FSF issued a statement on Friday 13 November, outlining its account of the problems and promising corrective measures.
It said 43,569 tickets had been issued for the match, with 41,994 sold. That represented 96% of the stadium’s capacity, while total revenue was 258,873,000 CFA francs.
The federation emphasised that the fixture was the first occasion on which it had used a completely digital ticketing system, with the process entrusted to Orange Senegal.
The figures were released in response to allegations from some supporters that more tickets had been sold than there were available places. The FSF defended the move to digital ticketing, saying it was intended to improve the “security of transactions and control of the distribution process while reducing speculative practices around national team matches as much as possible”.
However, the federation acknowledged that the system had not worked smoothly.
“This popular success must not, however, hide the malfunctions that were observed,” it said, while offering “its sincere apologies to supporters who encountered difficulties accessing Stade Leopold Sedar Senghor”.
Complaints posted on social media included claims from ticket holders who were unable to enter the stadium, as well as reports from people who found that their seats had already been taken.
Orange Senegal was asked whether tickets had been sold in excess of the number of available seats. Its response was direct: “We did not sell more tickets. Access to the stadium is ensured by the competent authorities.”
The ticket figures published by the FSF do not indicate an oversale, since the number sold was below the number issued. They do not, however, fully explain the problems reported at the entrances and inside the stands.
Digital ticketing can help restrict the illegal resale of tickets and make the process more transparent. Its success also depends on effective entry arrangements, adequate checks and sufficient staff on match day.
The first implementation has exposed areas requiring improvement. For future fixtures, the FSF and its partners will need to plan more effectively for ticket checks, supporter movement and the number of personnel deployed.
The system should make entry to the stadium easier, rather than turning arrival into a prolonged ordeal for supporters.
