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Stadiums company relieved after partial lift of fans ban

Operator bled R32m maintaining venues without any revenue

Sihle Ndebele Journalist
Football fans will now have the oppotunity to go and physically support their favourite teams at stadiums due to the latest easing of restrictions.
Football fans will now have the oppotunity to go and physically support their favourite teams at stadiums due to the latest easing of restrictions.
Image: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix

Disclosing they've forked out a whopping R32m for only maintenance across their four stadiums in the past 24 months, Stadium Management SA (SMSA) managing director Bertie Grobbelaar has welcomed the announcement by president Cyril Ramaphosa that venues would now be permitted to accept up to 50% of capacity.

On Tuesday, Ramaphosa relaxed the restriction pertaining to gatherings, allowing outdoor events to accommodate up to 50 % of the venue's capacity. Previously, only 2,000 people were allowed to attend outdoor events. 

"It's a massively good news for us... and the total industry. The cleaners, the security guards, the informal traders and the whole industry is extremely happy. We're not there 100% yet but this is a step in the right direction,'' Grobbelaar told Sowetan yesterday.

SMSA manages FNB Stadium, Orlando Stadium, Dobsonville Stadium and Rand Stadium, and it used to rake in millions of rand not only from big sports fixtures, but also music concerts before Covid.

Grobbelaar laid bare they paid R32m to maintain their four grounds while they struggled for income due to restrictions on crowds over the past two years.

"The maintenance of the four venues, and I am only speaking about maintenance and electricity, not about running expenses like salaries, over the past 24 months we paid R32m. You can imagine how much we've lost if we include salaries and all other expenses," Grobbelaar said.

Grobbelaar added they still managed to retain all their employees despite financial shortfalls. The SMSA boss wasn't keen to be drawn into speculations the company was, at one stage, on its knees and considering voluntary liquidation, conceding it will take years to retrieve the lost profit.  

"For 24 months, we've complied with all our financial obligations with extremely limited income. The venue rental that we receive is a drop in the ocean compared to our expenses,'' Grobbelaar stated.

"I don't think in my tenure we will recover the money we lost during lockdown. I'll be retired and SMSA wouldn't have recovered the lost money."

Even with the president's green light, the PSL appears to be buying time to have the stadiums half-full. Sowetan has seen a circular the league sent to all its 32-member clubs, which states the league's .executive will deliberate on the new regulations on Monday.

"The executive committee of the league is meeting on Monday 28 March to consider the extent to which the league Covid-19 regulations can or should be adapted. The existing protocols remain in place until varied by the executive committee," reads the communique.

Safa, meanwhile, welcomed government's new regulations. "We are happy that the government has opened up the space for fans to go back to the stadiums. We welcome that decision," Safa president Danny Jordaan said.

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