Get to the bottom of ticketing scandal and amend constitution
For several weeks now, there have been rumors that fake tickets are being sold at Gor Mahia matches. These rumours first became prominent when it emerged that during the match against Sofapaka, the fans who were throwing objects at linesman were unruly fans who entered for free or at throwaway prices. It has
According to sportnewsarena.com , Chairman Ambrose Rachier believes that some members of the committee are printing separate tickets alongside the official tickets. And it has emerged that during their 2-0 win over Ulinzi, several people were arrested for selling ‘fake’ tickets.
If people have indeed been arrested, then this is good news. If there are people in police custody, it should not be difficult to find out who is generating those fake tickets. Mr. Rachier can use his connections as a prominent attorney to expedite the investigation.
This is especially important since as sportsnewsarena reports, it’s believed that some of the club’s executive committee members are behind the sale of the tickets. According to a source at City Stadium, over 1,500 fans watched the match from the stadium’s main stand and over 2,500 were at the Russia side of the stadium.
During the Ulinzi match, main stand fans were charged Ksh 600 for a total of Ksh 900,000, while terraces fans were charged Ksh 300 for a total of Ksh 750,000. This should have translated to a total of Ksh 1,650,000. Only Ksh 900,000 was tabled which means someone walked away with Ksh 750,000. There is no way that this kind of theft should be allowed at time when players are threatening to leave the team during the transfer window due to lack of payment.
In the end, after deductions for stadium fee, security fee and paying some of clubs debtors ahead of the match, the club was left with only Ksh,300,000 according to sportsnewsarena.
Rachier is said to be furious. We hope that he can channel that anger towards an investigation that will determine who is the culprit.
Numerous initiatives have been announced to stem the ticketing graft that is rampant at Gor Mahia matches. Exactly one year ago, teh club announced a partnership with Diamond Trust Bank and Pay Gate in a pilot programme that was to see fans use automated cards instead of paying cash directly to watch matches.
“We shall be using the card system service provided by Pay Gate for our match against City Stars. This will involve use of temporary chip cards that will be tapped for one to access the stadium. No cash will handled at the match venue and these cards will be retained at the point of entry. Diamond Trust Bank will offer the banking solution,” club secretary general Chris Omondi was quoted as saying.
The club was aiming to do away with paper ticketing and will hence automate all the gates in a bid to end loss of revenue from gate takings. But that idea too has fallen by the wayside like many other ideas.
This is the kind of madness that should be stopped:
Change the Constitution
One issue that has been brought up over and over is the fact that the club has an archaic constitution that lends itself to appointing incompetent or corrupt EC members, most of whom fans do not know.
The constitution ought to be amended so that the only electable positions are Chairman and one Vice Chairman. In Lieu of having multiple EC positions, the club should source for competent professionals to run the club.
The first position is Operations Manager. This is preferably a former player who is in charge of day to day logistics like booking training grounds, booking stadia, arranging transportation etc.
The second position should be that of General Manager who is in charge of marketing and promoting the club, sourcing for sponsorship, payroll, accounting etc. This individual should be on a performance contract. The more money he brings in, the more money he gets paid.
This way we can root out idlers and replace them with people who can implement the numerous ideas that have been suggested on this blog and elsewhere. Issues like transparency, membership drives, #350100, SACCO, Diamond trust etc. All issues that have fallen by the wayside because there is no one with enough motivation to pursue them. In fairness to the club EC, some of them are hard-workers. But many have no time and there is often infighting among EC members which stalls ideas. This is why they should be replaced by professionals.
It is time to amend the constitution which was likely written in the 1960s or 1970s and bring it into the millenium. Amrbrose Rachier can lead this charge and add to his legacy as club chairman.
I dutifully pay 600 at every home match, how painful that that money is being eaten by some individuals at the expense of players. Brothers just take a look at what happens at the gates during matches, it’s not hard to see corruption all round. Those with tickets are shoved around as the corruption cartels do their business. The whole ticketing and access to stadium need to be thoroughly reviewed and this problem is not just Gor, even AFC is affected.
We need to move to a cashless system. KAPS Does it so well. In this era of Mpesa why do we still have cash . Have the funds paid to a Bill No and you a ticket from G4s. This need to be Electronic which are then swiped and collected as you enter. Why do we not use such people.
Season tickets. season tickets. forget about fighting with goons at the gates
who will stop Gor Mahia – in standard sports?
I think it is the goons the inept EC who seem like they have no vision the club. they need to wake up
That Gor has 1 million fans is truly a myth. Gor could be having 10 thousand fans but this is also disputable.;
1. Not all these fans are ready to come to the stadium (me included) coz it’s is too shameful to be associated with such scenery. The match between Gor-AC Leopards was an embarrassment, it will be a long time before I go to the stadium again.
2. Fake tickets are sold in broad daylight and the so called Gor security, who man the gates, are the biggest culprits. This is done in collusion with Police who to my disappointment were all in one corner watching the match. Why bring 20 policemen if you know they cannot do anything.
3. Corrupt officials: Gor is infested by Ticks and Leaches. Officials who use the Gor name and are printing tickets and ‘adidas’ with total impunity.
4. The so called Gor fan: The Luo attitude is basically killing football. I was on one of the lines and basically what I saw(not the first time) was not for the faint hearted. Gor Mahia’s biggest fan base is in the heart of Luoland. So any bad thing that happens is quickly associated with the Luo. This is keeping away many genuine Gor fans in-that many do not want to be seen to be associating with the club in any way. Let me point that it is these hooligans who have tarnished the image of the club to the extent that no sponsor wants to touch the club.
Solutions;
1. Gor EC must start marketing club more as a national club in that it must go out of it’s way to incorporate the other tribes as officials.
2. I have always blamed the hooligan situation on the Gor EC and I still do. The EC must realise that it’s biggest problem is coporate sponsorship. So long the EC denies these hooligans it is simply wasting time. As I said before the best form of offence to this problem is education. It is these hooligans who mostly take part in the Gor elections. It is high time the EC called a meeting for all branches to city stadium and educated these goons about the Gor image. Most of these goons come to the stadium as groups, they usually sit together and always belong to some so called branches.
3. Arrest the one or two people selling the tickets and they will lead you to the official printing the tickets.
4. High time the Chairman came out and named these officials killing the club.
The EC has the capabilty to turn arround Gor fortunes if they follow these steps.
Gor is continually being seen as a cash cow by it’s own, so blaming the stadium management for fleecing the club is lame. They have simply followed what they see Gor officials and fans doing. Yes the club is being raped, but if you looked keenly it’s own fans and officials doing it.
Many stop gap measures have been employed to help the club these being 350100, Sacco, Official harambees, Impromtu harambees and the list keeps growing. I still believe none of these will ever work simply coz they are all knee jack solutions. So long as the Gor family continues to ignore the real problem then Gor will for ever be poor. Without corporate sponsorship Gor is nowhere. There are enough obvious reasons why even the Sacco will not work. I will not point them out. The intentions of the saccco are good but unfortunately it is modeled on emotions than on a realistic market.
As much I would like to emphasize with Jakom I would also like to point out that:
1. These ills have plague consecutive ECs (3/4) and it is no secret that the only constant factors in all these ECs have been Ambrose Rachier, David Killo and Ronald Ngala. Conclude for yourself who is the villian here. Remember FISH ROTS FROM THE TOP.
Its seem to me the officials simply took their “share” of gate collection in the quise of “paying some of clubs debtors ahead of the match” as they could not take the risk of the money getting to the bank account intact.
2.The first picture is definitely a hooligan but the second picture I humbly beg to differ. Could it be the gentleman and lady were harassed by uncouth fans to the point that they actuallu opted for the dangerous escape route. THANK ADMIN. THESE PICTURE EXIST AND SHOULD BE PUT ON PROMINENT BILLBOARDS AROUND THE STADIA.
3. If persons were arrested selling fake tickets how come they have not been taken to court. I can bet my bottom dollar these person are now roam free ready to transaction the illegal business cum the next home game.
wacha watu wakule, wakule, wakule kabisa hadi tumbo ipasuke na Kogallo ifilisike.
After all, is that what our society has degenerated into …..’my stomach ‘ even the politicians and leaders do it on a bigger scale.
Its a pity, a pity for us to admit/believe that if we professionalise the club things will change…so professionals are not corrupt ?
The reality of this matter is simple, make it difficult for people with no tickets/fake tickets to access the match stadium. infact such people should not be idling around the gates in the first place. surely, with all the brains around EC, is that rocket science ???
For me I have resorted to sofaset branch and let nobody try to convince me otherwise.
am not losing any sleep or shedding any tear because of the ticket scandal.reason??The whole EC fraternity knows about it and nobody has the balls to stop it…for obvious reasons.In short,we are our own worst enemy!
I was a victim last weekend when we hosted Ulinzi.I had a VIP ticket.but when i got to the gate,the stewards took the ticket claiming to cut off a piece of it but they didnt.instead they declined to return it to me saying i didnt need it anymore since I was already inside the stadium.It turned very ugly.I eventally got it back after one of the SS Journalist intervened.I was ready to shed blood to get back my hard earned 600/=.
Those fools at the gate are very shameless to say the least.
This is what they do at the gate, Re-sale your ticket and at less the amount you bought it for. Total rip-off of the club players and fans. So shamelessly they do it in your face. EC can you start appointing stewards with integrity and with clubs interest at heart. I pay regularly both home and away for VIP stand and would feel conned if a steward take my card and pretends to be tearing it off and never gives it back only to re-sale to one of the “aiding thieves” to get in at less the amount I paid. Shame on you the Stewards, Club officials and the fans with these tendencies.
It is indeed heart breaking to see some one leaving his house to come the stadium with the sole purpose of being bribed. Shame on them. They create artificial traffic at the entrances so that they can create panic and anxiety when the matches are just about to begin. They feel that they have a right to be at the gates or watch foot ball. That is not in dispute. But the must to watch the games free of charge. They are bringing shame and poverty. There especially this man who is well built and of age who is notorious at the gate especially City Stadium. He is bringing shame to himself and even his in-laws. My extreme suggestion is if these people insist on pocketing the fifty or hundred Shs. Why not create another section in the Stadium especially the Kaloleni Lusaka Rd. Side.Cut it off from Russia and that money still be collected for the club.This is just a desperate measure. On Mr. Rachier, it is obvious that the man loves and works hard for Kogalo.. But it is also coming out that there are others who are not giving him the support he needs, Who are they and would it be too much if they are named? I also think that arresting some of these people will drive the point home that corruption is evil and that it is unacceptable everywhere.
Why don’t the fans fire this EC in the kisumu match ????? Use the crude way it will deter them for now I am so disappointed in them I send money via the pay bill number from time to time to line people’s pockets , you feed your family on money stollen from players
Fans take charge immediately
There are some Officials in the Club that there work is to eat the sweat of Fans and Players but contributing nothing to help Club. The only way to help our loyal Players is that let them open an Account that they managed themselves so Fans can put money direct this Account to avoid the so called ” Gor wako na wenyewewe ” NONSES!!