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Stadium Management South Africa CEO Bertie Grobbelaar warned fans of syndicates selling fake South African football tickets ahead of Wednesday's clash between top clubs Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates at FNB Stadium.
Grobbelaar, whose company manages the ground, revealed on Monday that 31,000 tickets had been sold to the crunch clash which is likely to play a major role in deciding the Betway Premiership title race, with a crowd close to double this size expected come matchday. Orlando Pirates are top of the table with defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns in second place.
"We've also, with the assistance of crime intelligence, infiltrated some of these networks selling fake tickets under syndicates. You would be amazed - some of the individuals that we got hold of and that testified to us; they sell, at a capacity event, 3,000 fake tickets," Grobbelaar told the media.
"I'm not referring to fake tickets told the day before or the day after. [I am referring to] one individual selling 3,000 fake tickets. We are confronted with a plague that we need to eradicate. I hope that we have got the co-operation of all involved. By enforcing mechanical access control to the venue, this is the first step to ensure that [the syndicate is tackled]."
The match is being held at FNB Stadium, which has a total capacity of 94,736, due to high demand for tickets among supporters. Pirates' usual home venue, the newly-renamed Orlando Amstel Arena, has a capacity of 37,313.
Elaborating on the measures put in place to clamp down on fake tickets and fans breaking into the venue without tickets, Grobbelaar said: "We've been confronted with overcrowding at venues and people gaining access to the venues that are not legitimate ticket-holders.
"The issue created with that is - in a capacity event - overcrowding. The next thing is: once capacity [was reached], it led to legitimate ticket-holders being left outside the venue."
He added: "We either had to work with what was in place and try to improve it or we had to implement a change. The major change with access control going forward - and we started about a month ago - is the activation of the turnstiles.
"A turnstile is a physical barrier that's not operated manually. It operates digitally and automatically when verifying a legitimate ticket to grant the holder of that legitimate ticket access through the turnstiles.
"Previously, we had the double-scanning system at FNB Stadium, where your ticket was verified and then you scanned the outer perimeter with mobile scanning devices. That led you directly into the venue. The turnstiles were on free flow and you had direct access into the venue.
"I think that contributed to where we are at the moment. There's unfortunately a group of spectators and some individuals that are exploiting the system. They wait for congestion; they wait for a couple of minutes before kick-off, and they breach the outer-perimeter validation point and they gain access to the venue."
As per Grobbelaar, the activation of the turnstiles adds another layer of security against fans seeking access via this method - although he acknowledged that assistance from the South African Police Service (SAPS) would still be needed if scores of supporters breach the outer perimeter and descend upon the turnstiles without tickets.
The 25th anniversary of the Ellis Park Stadium disaster - where 43 people were killed in a stampede at a match between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs - is on April 11 this year. Since then, security at South African football events has become far more efficient, particularly with a World Cup having been hosted in 2010.
Stadium Management SA's plan to combat ticketing fraud and overcrowding will face two major tests at FNB Stadium when Pirates face Sundowns on Wednesday and then Kaizer Chiefs in a Feb. 28 Soweto Derby.
