Supporters’ safety is top priority ahead of the Soweto derby

Security measures for the upcoming Soweto derby between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates have been evolved around the risks and lessons learnt during the recent tragic events at FNB Stadium where two football fans died during a stampede in July.

Stadium Management South Africa (SMSA), a company that manages various venues including FNB Stadium, came under fire with allegations of lax security arrangements which resulted in a stampede during the Carling Cup.

And with the derby set for Saturday at the same venue, security concerns have come up again, but SMSA CEO Jacques Grobelaar has moved to quell them, saying they will go the extra mile this time to ensure the match happens without any hiccups.

One of the problems identified by fans was that there were people with fake tickets who just pushed through the security gates when their tickets could not scan, causing havoc.

“We have evolved our plans based on risks we have been exposed to and we are aware that risks also evolved so we are quite vigilant on that. We have added security checkpoints around the stadium,” said Grobelaar yesterday.

“We have security companies already on site as a way to ensure everything is in place,” he added.

He said they were aware that security challenges change with almost every match and promised they would be doing regular risk analyses to ensure their plans are always in tune with the current risks.

He emphasised that all their plans, including security and other measures, are made to ensure fans have the best experience when they attend events at any of their venues.

Grobelaar also called on supporters to ensure they bought their tickets only at Computicket so they do not become victims of fraudsters who sell counterfeit tickets.

Close to 90 000 spectators are expected on Saturday.