Cape Town – An angry and frustrated Cape Town City FC boss John Comitis has lashed out at the council over its refusal to avail Cape Town Stadium for the much-anticipated derby against Stellenbosch FC.
The Premier Soccer League (PSL) game on August 10 has now been moved to Athlone Stadium.
“It is with great anger and frustration that the much-anticipated first Western Cape derby between Cape Town City and Stellenbosch FC has been moved out of Cape Town Stadium.
"This follows confirmation by the Cape Town Stadium today, four days before the major event, that the field has in fact not been prepared for the start of the season and is unplayable for football,” said Comitis
He described the City’s actions as “negligent and careless”.
“It is this very attitude that caused so many football casualties in Cape Town. In just the last few years, we have seen professional football dying in Cape Town because of a lack of available facilities.
"Chippa United relocated to Nelson Mandela Bay, Santos were relegated, Vasco Da Gama were relegated, Ajax were relegated, Ubuntu were relegated, FC Cape Town and Cape Town All Stars were sold,” he said.
Cape Town City has a multi-year contract with Cape Town Stadium, now entering its fourth year, in a partnership as tenant.
Cape Town Stadium chief executive Lesley de Reuck said: “It is important to note that the Cape Town Stadium hosted 36 events during the 2018/19 season. During this time, the pitch became compacted and slippery, hence the necessity for corrective maintenance to be conducted.”
The maintenance process started on May 20, where the top 15mm of the pitch was removed and a sand layer was brought in, compacted lightly and laser levelled, said the City.
It was then found that additional Netlon, a subsurface netting that contributes to the stability of the pitch, also had to be added. The pitch was then fumigated and had to lay dormant for 21 days before the grass could be sowed on June 20.
“We gave it as much time as possible as we wanted the grass to grow and strengthen. Unfortunately, the grass has not knitted sufficiently and can pose a danger to the players.
"Thus, the difficult decision was made to move the match to the Athlone Stadium,” said De Reuck.