Profits put ahead of fans’ safety

THE soccer stampede at the FNB stadium on Saturday may be attributed to poor soccer administration.

Two commissions of inquiry into football administration were held in the past but the findings of both have not been implemented.

Football should be run by professionals to ensure there is efficient administration and organisation. There has been three soccer stampedes, all involving Pirates and Chiefs.

The officials have conceded the prevalence of fake soccer tickets was reported by Computicket in February, yet no security measures were in place at this high-risk fixture on Saturday.

Fifa demonstrated during 2010 World Cup how soccer matches should be organised and run. Our arrogant soccer administrators have not learnt any lessons from the 2010 World Cup. Supporters demanded the same experience when watching soccer after the World Cup. The local soccer officials quickly rejected the idea, citing financial constraints.

In South Africa, soccer is about two teams and it’s all about super profits for the teams. This explains why this tournament replaced the Charity Cup which benefited charities and is now only benefiting two teams.

The safety and welfare of the poor soccer supporters is not a concern to Pirates and Chiefs. It is not surprising the clubs have offered no support, moral or otherwise, to the families of the deceased. Montana Park, Pretoria