The Buffalo City Metro municipality has got two weeks within which to fix up the Buffalo City Stadium in East London if the PSL match between Chippa United and Bloemfontein Celtic earmarked for the venue on December 18 is to get the nod.This was revealed by PSL chief operations officer (COO) Ronnie Schloss who conducted an intensive inspection at the facility yesterday.
According to Schloss, there were security and pitch “concerns” that if not addressed when he visits EL in the next 14 days, the city will have to kiss the match goodbye.
The pitch of the field as is would not be conducive for a competitive match of PSL’s standard.
Schloss, pointing at the turf which resembled a divot-laden golf fairway said: “As you can see the pitch is not level and needs to be reworked most of it.”
The security concerns include the entry points to the stadium but during a Daily Dispatch visit yesterday construction workers were hard at work in one of the entrances.
Only one entrance gate at Buffalo City Stadium turnstile which Schloss insists is necessary for crown control and that it must be installed in the other gates aswel.
Schloss is also unhappy about the state of toilets saying they need some touchups because “people will have paid to come watch the match and therefore much be comfortable”.
The toilet-size media box is also a worry as it can only accommodate a maximum of four people.
While the capacity of the stadium is about 10000 people, some chairs are missing and will have to be replaced.
Schloss however emphasised that it was not all doom and gloom for the football- loving people of the BCM who are hoping to see some PSL action.
“As much as the stadium is not ready at the moment, pitch-wise and security-wise, the problems I have identified can be fixed,” he said.
“If you ask me they can be fixed in two or three weeks if work starts now.
“From my side I will be back in East London in about two weeks for a review and final inspection.
“When I come back, if the situation has not changed then unfortunately the Buffalo City Stadium will not be hosting a PSL match because it currently does not meet the minimum standards for a Premier League match.”
The city last tasted PSL action years ago during Bay United’s brief stint in the top tier.
Otherwise since then, football-wise, the venue also used to be the home to Blackburn Rovers when they campaigned in the National First Division before their demise more than a year ago.
The field is mainly the home of the Border Bulldogs provincial rugby side whose 2015 season ended about three months ago.
Chippa United chairman Chippa Mpengesi was not available for comment at the time of writing.
Mpengesi has before stated his wish to spread his club’s matches across the province as it was costly for fans from the eastern and northern part of the province to reach Port Elizabeth.
BCM municipality did not respond to questions emailed to them.
Grounds for concern
This was revealed by PSL chief operations officer (COO) Ronnie Schloss who conducted an intensive inspection at the facility yesterday.
According to Schloss, there were security and pitch “concerns” that if not addressed when he visits EL in the next 14 days, the city will have to kiss the match goodbye.
The pitch of the field as is would not be conducive for a competitive match of PSL’s standard.
Schloss, pointing at the turf which resembled a divot-laden golf fairway said: “As you can see the pitch is not level and needs to be reworked most of it.”
The security concerns include the entry points to the stadium but during a Daily Dispatch visit yesterday construction workers were hard at work in one of the entrances.
Only one entrance gate at Buffalo City Stadium turnstile which Schloss insists is necessary for crown control and that it must be installed in the other gates aswel.
Schloss is also unhappy about the state of toilets saying they need some touchups because “people will have paid to come watch the match and therefore much be comfortable”.
The toilet-size media box is also a worry as it can only accommodate a maximum of four people.
While the capacity of the stadium is about 10000 people, some chairs are missing and will have to be replaced.
Schloss however emphasised that it was not all doom and gloom for the football- loving people of the BCM who are hoping to see some PSL action.
“As much as the stadium is not ready at the moment, pitch-wise and security-wise, the problems I have identified can be fixed,” he said.
“If you ask me they can be fixed in two or three weeks if work starts now.
“From my side I will be back in East London in about two weeks for a review and final inspection.
“When I come back, if the situation has not changed then unfortunately the Buffalo City Stadium will not be hosting a PSL match because it currently does not meet the minimum standards for a Premier League match.”
The city last tasted PSL action years ago during Bay United’s brief stint in the top tier.
Otherwise since then, football-wise, the venue also used to be the home to Blackburn Rovers when they campaigned in the National First Division before their demise more than a year ago.
The field is mainly the home of the Border Bulldogs provincial rugby side whose 2015 season ended about three months ago.
Chippa United chairman Chippa Mpengesi was not available for comment at the time of writing.
Mpengesi has before stated his wish to spread his club’s matches across the province as it was costly for fans from the eastern and northern part of the province to reach Port Elizabeth.
BCM municipality did not respond to questions emailed to them.
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