By Rohey Drammeh
Following the chaos of 8 September 8 when an international match was delayed for 90 minutes due to overcrowding the Events Management Committee, EMC, of the Gambia Football Federation, GFF, has called a press conference yesterday to announce sweeping new measures to drastically reduce stadium chaos from over crowding.
The EMC said it has now adopted a new strategy in ticketing which it said will eradicate duplications and reselling of used tickets which leads to unplanned swelling of crowds. According to EMC tickets will be supplied at all GTBank branches from Banjul to Brikama but VIP tickets will be sold at only the GTBank headquarters.
The EMC said every ticket buyer must ensure that his or her ticket is scanned and registered, if not, the scanner at the stadium gate will reject it and the holder will be suspected of forging the ticket.
The committee also explained that once the tickets are confirmed at the main gate the holder will be allowed to get through the pavilion gates where the ticket once confirmed would be terminated and rendered unusable meaning its validity will elapse with that single entry.
According to the EMC. tickets colours will determine where one sits: Green – Score Board Area; White – Pavilion Opposite; Blue – Pavilion Opposite the Covered Pavilion all for D100. Red for the Covered Pavilion for D200. The Gold coloured ticket is for the VIPs and will cost D1,500.
Last night The Standard sounded public opinion on the new methods with many praising the ingenuity and innovation of the GFF. However, a few raised concern that the since Gambians always do things late, the process of scanning at the selling points will cause huge crowds at GTBank branches. Another observer noted that the cost of tickets have been increased and asked if that too is a crowd control measure or raising more money into the currently empty GFF coffers?, he teased.
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