Surprise, surprise the Moses Mabhida will host yet another cup final. The Durban based stadium has fast become the go to destination for both Safa and the PSL which looks to have upset fans, writes DEAN WORKMAN.
There were 10 stadiums that were either reconstructed or newly-built across the country for the 2010 Fifa World Cup. This brought about the possibility of truly spreading football right across the country.
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Despite the wealth of options afforded to both Safa and the PSL when choosing a venue for big occasions, since the construction of the Moses Mabhida, the stadium has hosted an incredible 45% of local football finals, that’s 11 finals out of a possible 24.
Safa have also turned to the Durban based stadium on a regular basis, even when Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter requested to play at altitude in order to gain an advantage of opponents.
BREAKING NEWS:
The Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban will host the #MTN8Final on Saturday, 29 September 2018.
The Match will kick-off at 19h00. pic.twitter.com/jRY1SJrXwN
— Official PSL (@OfficialPSL) September 10, 2018
The Stadium has hosted 16 matches out of 55 (29%) of Bafana Bafana’s home games between 2010 and 2018.
In light of all these statistics, when the PSL revealed that they would do a live announcement naming the stadium for the upcoming MTN8 final, no prizes were to be awarded for guessing the venue.
‘It is like a grudge match and we decided to take it back to where it started because it is the same script, but act two,’ said PSL’s Luxolo September to SuperSport’s Extra Time during the announcement.
Despite trying to romanticize the notion of defending champions SuperSport United and Cape Town City doing battle in a rematch of last year’s final, the reasoning just looks like a convenient excuse to hand yet another final to the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
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The PSL must just do away with pretenses and officially instal the Moses Mabhida Stadium as the permanent host of cup finals. It doesn’t make sense dressing this thing up as some kind of an announcement when we all know where the game is going. Give me a break! #MTN8Final
— Mninawa Ntloko (@ntlokom) September 11, 2018
The overuse of the stadium looks to be brewing a storm with South African football fans, as they cry out to have the action spread around.
Even Kaizer Chiefs have turned the stadium into their second home, as they frequently play ‘home’ matches in the Durban.
For the moment it looks like the Moses Mabhida will remain the destination of choice for the footballing bodies in South Africa. They, however, might want to consider sharing the love or run the risk of betraying the fans.
Cup finals hosted at Moses Mabhida Stadium:
MTN8 – 2018; 2017; 2014; 2013; 2010
Nedbank Cup – 2017; 2014; 2013
Telkom Knockout – 2015; 2012; 2011
