Gavin Hunt saddened as SuperSport forced out of home stadium

As the PSL heads towards the business end, it’s been confirmed that SuperSport won’t be able to play their final league home games at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville.

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According to TimesLive, SuperSport CEO Stan Matthews has confirmed that the stadium no longer meets the requirements to host matches.

“Lucas Moripe Stadium has been banned, it is no longer fit for usage in the PSL with immediate effect,” Matthews said. “Apparently Caf [the Confederation of African Football] also did not pass it as a suitable stadium, so that’s a problem.”

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It’s now been revealed what the primary issue was, with PSL Official Professor Ronnie Schloss telling KickOff.com that it was a safety issue.

“Well, the stadium is missing its generator, there’s no safety. If we are playing a night game and the stadium’s lights go out, the players and the fans are not safe…

“There’s a lot of things that need to be fixed there, even the turnstiles,” he added. “It’s a structural problem. As for the generator, well, the stadium never had a generator. In terms of the law, you must have one.”

On social media, coach Gavin Hunt responded to the news, expressing his sadness that the team will have to move away from their “fortress”.

🥲 https://t.co/X07Ml2RsMX

— Gavin John Hunt (@gavinjohnhunt12) March 13, 2023

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SuperSport are on the hunt for new stadium options

It’s a possibility that the Chiefs game on 13 May could be taken to Ellis Park.

“It has been coming for a while. The match commissioners’ reports have been quite harsh on Lucas Moripe for the past few months,” Matthews said. “We tried as much as we could to get the stadium repaired through the channels and they have not been able to do that in time. That’s the reason I’m looking for alternatives for next year and Tsakani Stadium [in Brakpan, Ekurhuleni] would be a great alternative for small games for us.

“I don’t want to move from that venue,” the CEO added. “I’ve picked up 25 points there in my 11 games and it has been a strong fortress for us except for the Nedbank Cup. I didn’t want to leave there, but I also want to play in a stadium that is compliant and satisfies the requirements not only for the PSL, but also Caf if we are thinking that in three or four months we will be playing there.”

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Upcoming home matches were set to be played against AmaZulu on April 23, Stellenbosch FC on May 2 and Kaizer Chiefs on May 13.

SuperSport are second on the PSL log