Curtains at Harry Gwala for United?

MARITZBURG United may have played their last match at Harry Gwala Stadium yesterday. The loss to Moroka Swallows was merely academic in terms of United’s safety, but the Sunday Tribune has learnt that the club may well be playing their football elsewhere next season.

The club has maintained that the lack of a sponsor has hampered their five-year stint in the top flight, which led to them playing three games in Port Elizabeth during the 2011/12 campaign. “We have a board meeting on Tuesday night, where we will decide on next season,” chairman Farouk Kadodia explained.

He added that the club had received offers from KZN corporates, which would mean they stayed in Maritzburg if they reached a deal. But no such deal had been struck by Friday night, which saw the club ask the PSL for an extension before announcing their primary venue for next season.

PSL spokesman Altaaf Kazi told the Tribune last night that United were yet to confirm their preferred venue, but expected clarity on the matter early this week.

United media manager Younus Kadodia revealed earlier this week that the club had received offers from outside the province – from the Port Elizabeth municipality and the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.

Kadodia rubbished claims of an offer of R20 million from a municipality, saying if that was the case, United would be in the same revenue bracket as Chiefs and Pirates.

“As a club, we have exhausted just about every avenue in trying to get a sponsor on board. The money we received from the games we took to PE balanced the books for us, so we can’t rule out the possibility of moving more or even all our games next season.”

He added that several larger corporates had hinted that they would be interested in backing the club, as long as they were not based in Maritzburg.