Amakhosi justify increase in derby ticket prices

Kaizer Chiefs marketing director Jessica Motaung has defended the club’s decision to hike ticket prices for Saturday’s Soweto derby against rivals Orlando Pirates from R40 to R70.

She said on Thursday, the R70 selling price was reasonable as the club had to cover its costs. “Things are going up with inflation‚ the costs of things are going up and people must also remember that this is not new because [for] the last derby, tickets went up.

“People must do their homework and check that tickets for the last derby were similar and there must be a proper analysis. The reality is that the stadium and the club must cover their costs and it is not an unreasonable amount.”

The game will be played at FNB Stadium and Motaung said they were happy that more than 60,000 tickets had already been sold by Thursday afternoon.

The club expected more tickets to be snapped up in the coming hours as the Saturday kickoff approaches. “I am happy with the way the tickets have been going at the moment.

“Obviously, you know that some people are last-minute buyers, but we are confident that the remaining ones will be snapped up in the next few hours. The Soweto derby is a fantastic event where people from across races and religions converge to enjoy the game of football and we believe that the stadium will be full to capacity.”

In terms of safety and security‚ stadium management said 1,800 personnel would be deployed in and around the stadium to ensure that people were safe and enjoyed the entertainment that would be provided on the day.