Local clubs angry as Chiefs, City push for stadium deal
DESPITE an outcry from local teams, Kaizer Chiefs football club and the City are pushing to sign a one-season deal which will see the country’s top team play three home games at the Cape Town Stadium with an option of a two-year extension.
The club’s marketing manager, Jessica Motaung, has confirmed that Amakhosi will play Bidvest Wits on December 19, Platinum Stars on January 23 and Super Sport United on February 23 at the venue.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that local football clubs Ajax Cape Town, Santos, Milano United and Vasco da Gama have formed a united front against the deal. Ajax has been battling to remain the sole soccer tenant of the stadium.
Motaung dismissed allegations that Chiefs were encroaching on the local clubs’ fan base. “The reaction from the local teams is shocking. We have 48 branches here. We have been enjoying huge support since the 1990s here. We have supporters everywhere, that is why we fill the stadiums all over. We are here to connect with our fans,” she said.
Chiefs were heeding a longoverdue call from their localbased supporters who had been pleading with them to bring some of their home games here, Motaung said.
Mayor Patricia de Lille said the City had a responsibility to make the stadium financially viable. She was adamant the deal would be approved.
“This event proposal will be tabled at a full council for approval and I will recommend that we approve Kaizer Chiefs hosting Bidvest Wits in December, Platinum Stars in January and Supersport United in February. For years, Amakhosi have played at stadiums across the country in order to bring the team closer to their national fan base in all provinces. We know that there are thousands of loyal and enthusiastic Kaizer Chiefs supporters here,” she said.
De Lille said after carefully considering various proposals, the City’s special events com- mittee had recommended that the club should play three of their matches here.
She confirmed that the proposed agreement formed part of a one-year contract with an option to either cancel or renew for a further two years.
Motaung said she hoped the deal would provide an opportunity between the City and local teams to “repair their relationship”.
Ajax chief executive Ari Efstathiou could not be reached for comment.