Cape Town City FC chairman John Comitis highlights the crucial impact of Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates on the growth and success of South African football.
Speaking on Sport Nights Amplified, Comitis, who also serves on the Premier Soccer League (PSL) executive board, expressed his belief that the Betway Premiership would benefit significantly if either of these two clubs lifted the league title soon.
Comitis explained, “If I’m standing at the Executive level and I’m looking at the product without being emotional about my own club, it’s important that Chiefs and Pirates win this league soon.
“Because that’s good for business. You have the country’s favourite clubs winning a football trophy in the country.”
He pointed out that the dominance of these clubs is crucial not only for the league’s competitiveness but also for the commercial side of the sport. “It’s no different to what’s happening in other countries and they’ve lost that dominance because of what Sundowns has done.
“To me, it’s important that there is always a Chiefs or a Pirates or a Sundowns in the mix of being on the top end, it’s the way things work.”
Comitis also highlighted how a strong showing from Chiefs and Pirates impacts stadium attendance across the league, particularly for clubs like Cape Town City. “When Chiefs hasn’t been up there, we can feel the down as a club that’s not Chiefs and Pirates,” he said.
“We need them to be up there and playing great, and then everybody wants to come and watch. When you’re playing Chiefs, you don’t get 18,000 fans; we get like 32-34,000 fans.”
Reflecting on the broader implications, Comitis noted that when these iconic teams perform well, the entire league benefits, attracting more sponsors and broadcasters.
“This league is massive. When they are winning, stadiums are full, corporates want to be involved, and broadcasters want to broadcast extra games, it’s a snowball effect.”
Cape Town City FC are set to face Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 Cup semifinal first leg at Cape Town Stadium on 27 August.