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DOOR STILL OPEN: United boss Farouk Kadodia

But the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium management says it will not give up on attracting a PSL club to the venue and is eyeing other unnamed targets.

And further complicating matters is a statement from United owner Farouk Kadodia, in which he suggests that the club was still open to the move at a later date, or even for the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality to buy the franchise of the club outright. The United board met last week to decide on the move, which would have seen the club change its name and use the 2010 World Cup venue as their home ground.

In the end they decided to turn down the offer of R20m over three years after they discovered it did not have the full support of the local municipality, or much of the Port Elizabeth public.

So United will continue to play at Harry Gwala Stadium in the new campaign, and take their marquee home matches against Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates to Port Elizabeth.