Slaughterhouse faces the chop
Sibongiseni Gumbi
Black Leopards remain hopeful that the Premier Soccer League (PSL) will allow them to use their “slaughterhouse”, but will only know today if they will be allowed to host their first Absa Premiership match set for Saturday afternoon at Thohoyandou Stadium.
Lidoda Duvha host their provincial nemesis Polokwane City in a Limpopo derby on opening day of the new season, but with two days to the match are still unsure of the venue. The Premier Soccer League initially announced that the match would be played at Peter Mokaba Stadium, but Lidoda Duvha asked to use the one they call their “slaughterhouse” where they attract a good crowd.
Peter Mokaba is Polokwane and Baroka’s home ground.
Leopards chairman David Thidiela told The Citizen yesterday that the PSL had sent chief operations officer Ronnie Schloss to inspect the Thohoyandou Stadium to see if it met all the requirements for it to host Premiership games. Lidoda Duvha played their home games there last season while campaigning in the National First Division and embarked on an upgrade soon after they won promotion via the play-offs in June.
“He didn’t tell us what the verdict was. We don’t know whether or not we will be able to play our first match here,” said Thidiela.
Schloss didn’t leave even a hint for Lidoda Duvha and was unavailable for comment yesterday.
“We however remain hopeful that he will give us the go ahead. He did mention that he was impressed with the condition of the pitch and some other features but told us we will only know when he releases his report. We have done our best to ensure the stadium meets the standards because we want to play closer to our fans,” said Thidiela.
The stadium is said to have needed an upgrade of its change room facilities, security features, pitch and lighting which Thidiela said had been attended to and believed they met the standard set by the PSL. The Citizen understands that Leopards have sold tickets and advertised the match as being hosted at Thohoyandou Stadium.