South African Football Association (SAFA) CEO Lydia Monyepao announced on Tuesday that the upcoming AFCON qualifier against Congo will be moved to Gqeberha in October.
The decision was made due to scheduling conflicts and logistical challenges at the originally planned venue, Bloemfontein’s Free State Stadium.
Monyepao expressed her disappointment in having to change the venue, especially after the successful match against Zimbabwe in June, which drew a capacity crowd. However, she emphasized that the move was necessary to ensure a smooth and successful event.
“So the match will be taking place at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha, and it will be happening on 11 October, which is a Friday, at 19:00,” said Monyepao.
“The reason why we selected Nelson Mandela Bay – initially we had pencilled in Bloemfontein, and we were in advanced talks with the Mangaung Municipality to take the game back there.
“Given the support we received in June when Bafana Bafana played against Zimbabwe, we thought it’s the best atmosphere to give our team the support they need to get maximum points at home before they go to Brazzavile.
“But there were certain issues beyond our control that saw us take the game away.”
Gqeberha, also known as Port Elizabeth, will now host the important qualifier match. The city has a history of hosting major sporting events and is expected to provide a vibrant atmosphere for Bafana Bafana’s clash against Congo.
“We were thinking about the happenings in Mangaung around that weekend, but things like the condition of the pitch leading up to the game was not going to be ideal for this kind of game,” she added.
“Because we were notified of the rugby games that were happening before then, and we also had other logistical challenge that, when we sat down and thought about it, we thought it’s best to move it to Port Elizabeth, which was actually scheduled to host Bafana in November.”