SAFA-Buffalo City was forced to postpone their Easter tournament after two days of football action due to heavy rains this past weekend.
The event, which started on Friday, was scheduled to finish yesterday but delaying the games on Sunday morning was the best decision to make as fields were waterlogged, according to Safa- BC vice-president and director of competitions, Abel Iglesias.
After heavy rain on Saturday night and Sunday morning, Iglesias inspected Jan Smuts Stadium, Buffalo City Stadium, Amalinda Stadium and Bunkers Hill soccer grounds at 7am and again at 9am on Sunday. The verdict was the same – all fields were unplayable.
The regional football governing body’s regional executive committee then had to take the decision to put the games on hold.
Signs that the weather was going to disrupt the event were there as of Friday night during the main game between Parkside Sporting and Seagulls at the Buffalo City Stadium.
Before the match kicked off, it was raining cats and dogs with one half of the field so heavily waterlogged the ball could hardly move on the surface.
Despite the conditions, the match officials gave the game the go-ahead.
Their decision was in consideration for the spectators who packed the grandstands, which has not been seen at the stadium in a long time.
The condition of the field as the rain continued to pour got worse as players slipped throughout the match in what was now a muddy pitch.
The match became a one-sided affair as Sporting finished it off with a 4-0 thumping of their foes.
Saturday’s weather was more forgiving during the day and the games went ahead without disturbance until the rain started pouring through the night until Sunday morning.
“Unfortunately we cannot foresee weather conditions but the heavy rains compelled us to do what we did not anticipate and we postponed the tournament,” said Iglesias.
“At this stage we cannot say when will we continue where we left off but the REC will meet and deliberate on which weekend the tournament can be concluded.”
Finding a weekend to accommodate the tournament will not be an easy task as the league is also about three weekends behind, added Iglesias.
Those who were hoping to win the ultimate prize of R24000 will now have to wait a little longer. As things stand, only Group B had completed its round-robin games and Future Tigers and WSU have progressed to the last eight.
University of Fort Hare, Alice Campus is leading Group A with six points and one game to spare while the same is the case with Sporting in Group C and Relatives in Group D.
If the clubs topping their groups remain unchanged, they will avoid each other in the quarterfinals.
Semis featuring Sporting, Tigers, UHF and Relatives would be a dream come true for many football followers given the aforementioned clubs pedigree. — mawandem@dispatch.co.za
No play possible as playing venues take severe pounding
The event, which started on Friday, was scheduled to finish yesterday but delaying the games on Sunday morning was the best decision to make as fields were waterlogged, according to Safa- BC vice-president and director of competitions, Abel Iglesias.
After heavy rain on Saturday night and Sunday morning, Iglesias inspected Jan Smuts Stadium, Buffalo City Stadium, Amalinda Stadium and Bunkers Hill soccer grounds at 7am and again at 9am on Sunday. The verdict was the same – all fields were unplayable.
The regional football governing body’s regional executive committee then had to take the decision to put the games on hold.
Signs that the weather was going to disrupt the event were there as of Friday night during the main game between Parkside Sporting and Seagulls at the Buffalo City Stadium.
Before the match kicked off, it was raining cats and dogs with one half of the field so heavily waterlogged the ball could hardly move on the surface.
Despite the conditions, the match officials gave the game the go-ahead.
Their decision was in consideration for the spectators who packed the grandstands, which has not been seen at the stadium in a long time.
The condition of the field as the rain continued to pour got worse as players slipped throughout the match in what was now a muddy pitch.
The match became a one-sided affair as Sporting finished it off with a 4-0 thumping of their foes.
Saturday’s weather was more forgiving during the day and the games went ahead without disturbance until the rain started pouring through the night until Sunday morning.
“Unfortunately we cannot foresee weather conditions but the heavy rains compelled us to do what we did not anticipate and we postponed the tournament,” said Iglesias.
“At this stage we cannot say when will we continue where we left off but the REC will meet and deliberate on which weekend the tournament can be concluded.”
Finding a weekend to accommodate the tournament will not be an easy task as the league is also about three weekends behind, added Iglesias.
Those who were hoping to win the ultimate prize of R24000 will now have to wait a little longer. As things stand, only Group B had completed its round-robin games and Future Tigers and WSU have progressed to the last eight.
University of Fort Hare, Alice Campus is leading Group A with six points and one game to spare while the same is the case with Sporting in Group C and Relatives in Group D.
If the clubs topping their groups remain unchanged, they will avoid each other in the quarterfinals.
Semis featuring Sporting, Tigers, UHF and Relatives would be a dream come true for many football followers given the aforementioned clubs pedigree. — mawandem@dispatch.co.za
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