The latest example is the Premier Soccer League’s new ticketing system, which has proven to be a nightmare for many football fans, particularly when it comes to big games involving South Africa’s Big Three.
On Friday, 2 October, tickets for the MTN8 final between Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns, to be played at Moses Mabhida Stadium on 10 October, went on sale at 10am.
The PSL provided steps on how supporters could purchase tickets through social media. But for many fans, that information did little to ease the frustration.
Supporters struggled to access the ticket purchasing system, with some spending hours in an online queue just to get the opportunity to buy a ticket for the highly anticipated final.
Some fans expressed their frustration on social media after finding themselves thousands of places back in the queue, with some facing estimated waiting times of several hours.
Those who eventually managed to secure tickets understandably celebrated after spending much of the day battling the system.
But it shouldn’t be like that.
Buying a football ticket with your own money should not feel like a full day’s work. Supporters shouldn’t have to fight their way through a complicated or unreliable system just to watch the sport they love.
Many fans were even calling for the previous ticketing system to return, saying they had never experienced frustration on this scale.
What was perhaps even more disappointing, however, was the lack of communication throughout the day.
Fans were expressing their frustrations, tagging relevant stakeholders and asking for clarity. Yet there appeared to be no meaningful response to acknowledge what supporters were experiencing or explain what was being done to resolve the situation.
Later that evening, fans were simply informed that tickets had been sold out. And that was it. That’s not good enough.
What many people fail to understand is that supporters are not an afterthought in sport. They are an integral part of it. Without fans filling stadiums, buying tickets, watching games and supporting their clubs, football simply does not have the same heartbeat.
Treating supporters as though they are doing you a favour by buying tickets is disrespectful.
Football needs its fans. The fans deserve better.
Let’s go back to basics. Let’s listen to supporters. Let’s communicate when things go wrong. And, most importantly, let’s do better.
If people can’t respect their jobs, they must at least respect the supporters.
Sport is nothing without fans.