The Casablanca municipality is facing growing unrest after Wydad Athletic Club, one of the city’s leading football teams, revoked ticket sales from Sonarges, the company officially authorized to manage the Stade Mohammed V complex.
Elected officials in the Casablanca municipal council said they were surprised to learn that tickets for Wydad matches held at the stadium were being sold through a private company, instead of Sonarges, which has a contractual mandate to handle ticketing for events at the venue.
Hespress AR sources within the municipal council said the monitoring committee for Stade Mohammed V plans to convene a meeting and open an investigation into the matter, amid concerns that a private company is collecting revenues from ticket sales that should be managed by the official operator.
The committee reportedly expressed frustration over suggestions that Sonarges had breached its agreement with the municipality. Members were particularly puzzled by the fact that the private company printed tickets for Wydad matches, while tickets for Raja Club Athletic, Wydad’s city rival, were still being printed by Sonarges.
The contract between the Casablanca municipality and Sonarges, which governs the rehabilitation, management, use and maintenance of Stade Mohammed V and its facilities, stipulates that the company is responsible for managing and overseeing ticket sales for local football clubs’ matches held at the complex. The agreement allows Sonarges to retain up to 10% of ticket revenues, with a minimum guaranteed payment of 48,000 dirhams if no revenue is generated. The municipality is required to cover any shortfall related to the 5% share outlined in the contract.
The ticketing dispute has also triggered dissatisfaction among Wydad fans and club members, who criticized the new sales method and reported that some spectators obtained VIP tickets priced at more than 2,000 dirhams.
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