Something like… “Keep of the Grass, Butana Komphela plans to smoke it” is happening at Loftus….
The Bulls and Cheetahs could be forced to play their remaining home matches in the Vodacom Super 14 competition elsewhere than at Loftus Versfeld and Vodacom Park – and that could be a financial headache for the Bulls in particular who have to host three crowd-pulling matches against the Lions, Sharks and log-leaders Crusaders over the next three weekends.
The Blue Bulls Company (Pty) Limited CEO Barend van Graan, has to appear before the parliamentary portfolio committee on sport on Tuesday, together with the Free State Rugby Union’s president Harold Verster and the president of the SA Rugby Union (Saru), Oregan Hoskins.
Their appearance before the committee stems from the concerns of the chairman of the parliamentary portfolio committee on sport, Butana Komphela, who has personally inspected the playing pitches at Loftus and Vodacom Park where World Cup soccer matches are to be played and is unhappy about the condition of the surfaces.
Van Graan declined to comment at this stage. However, over and above the loss of income from the three matches that might have to move if Komphela gets his way in denying them the use of Loftus, there is the matter of their thousands of season ticket holders and suite owners who have to be considered. This could lead to a huge refund demanded from the Bulls – and even to possible legal action.
The Bulls’ home field has been described as “Fortress Loftus” where they have now won 15 consecutive matches – and losing this ally will be a major blow in their quest to successfully defend their title.
As it is, the Bulls have already made contingency plans should they qualify for a home semifinal and final. Those games will be played at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto.
The situation with the Free State Rugby Union, whose Cheetahs franchise will also be affected in three home matches, is less serious. They will not stand to lose nearly as much as the Bulls.
The Cheetahs are second to last on the log; they do not draw the numbers the Bulls do; they have less season ticket holders affected; and they don’t stand to lose tens of millions from home play-offs.
Whether Komphela will be able to enforce his wish is still debatable, as the World Cup local organising committee has an agreement with Saru that the scheduled Super 14 games could go ahead and that the unions had will hand over the stadiums in good condition by May 20.
Hoskins confirmed they have to appear before the parliamentary portfolio committee on sport. “I have asked the Bulls and Cheetahs to get expert opinions on their respective pitches, so we can present it in Parliament,” was all Hoskins was prepared to say.
Surely, if rugby can be played on that pitch at Loftus, then the Sissyboy-soccer-poofball round-ball games can be played there too, in fact a pitch takes much less punishment in soccer than with rugby.
Don’t bend down Barend van Graan, stand strong… let the freegin soccer fraternity concern themselves more with soccer matches, the state of Bafana Bafana’s readiness and aspects like the low occupancy rates (1%) in Durban Hotels during the Soccer World Cup, the State of our roads during the Soccer World Cup, the chaos at our Airports.
Tell me one thing, do you guys also feel that something spectacular is going to go pear-shaped with the Soccer World Cup….
Herewith I mean something like chaos and congestion at the Airports, a Team or Tourgroup to fall victim to crime and hitting the headlines…. some tourist murders…. a major power blow-out during an important game…
I just have this uneasy feeling….
Well, we already know the roads are not going to be finished, we know that the Gautrain won’t be ready for the SWC….
You have to admit the Loftus pitch looked crap before the Bulls left for their tour. It actually looks like their are 2 different types of grass on it. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have to replant the whole pitch before the SWC
GBS I am not the most positive person by nature but I have a feeling the SWC is actually going to go of fine.
2@ Pokkel – The pitch had a new drainage system implanted way, way before the Bulls left on Tour… somewhere in the Off-season, that’s why the pitch looked the way it did before the Bulls left on Tour.
It is now more than a month later…. and there simply is not enough time to replant grass or resurface Loftus.
Yet the pitch stood up to the rigors of Super 14 scrumming ec cettera…. and apart from pitch colour differences it was OK….
3@ Pokkel – I am an eternal optimist, usually, but have the luxury of certain insights into some of the organisational aspects of the SWC, thanks to my main connection, Handbriekie, my wife.
There’s bound to be chaos in a few fields… one of them being the so called “Bed nights” for tourists…
I’m sure you have heard about the fact that a lot of people have contracted to rent their houses out for tourists, well this is mostly co-ordinated centrally by an organisation run by some people we know…. and it has just fallen to 40% of what was initially envisaged. Similarly the Hotels in Gauteng seem to be fully booked, as is the case with Cape Town but a startling revelation is that occupancy at Hotels in Durban is currently at roughly 1% only for that same period….
The England Team Hotel is still a building site!!
I have no idea about the SWC apart from what I see on TV so I’ll take your world for it. The story on Carte Blanche last night about EMRS was concerning though.
6@ Pokkel – I’m bound to visit the Press Box at Loftus on the weekend…. I will inspect the pitch myself and ask the relevant questions from management… I’ll report back
6@ Pokkel – I only saw that Carte Blanche insert with one eye….. about missing and underequiped ambulances ect…. shocking, but just another SA expose….
Well, we have never hosted anything as big as SWC. None of the other events we have more than successfully pulled-off even comes close. So, its natural to be a little nervous, but as you correctly pointed out GBS, we should not go against our natural tendency to be optimistic.
I don’t believe its time to stock-up on “blikkieskos” as some afro-pessimists tried to convince us prior to election ’94. I come from the Cape of Good Hope.
gbs @ 1
i, for one, do not hope so … cause its not only the anc government, but each and everyone of us who would be left with egg on our faces
..
but
as far as i can figure out … theres quite a few people that would prefer that
only
if only for the oppertunity to say “i told you so”
(oh, and i’m definately not refering to you here … just the impression i’m getting from how the average person talks!!)
fender @ 9
wonder if they still have some of that blikkies kos left? 😀
but
thats life, i think (sigh)
…
would love to see the histeria next year as its supposed to be ARMAGEDDON!!
9@ Kitaarsnaar – We HAVE TO BE POSITIVE, we really have no other choice. Time to rally as Saffas and give a joint effort to treat our overseas guests well.
This SWC event is an important window for the world to look at SA critically… and it will affect future trade and investment greatly… more than we realise.
As far as the soccer itself is concerned, I could not really give a hoot… it’s not my game. What I do know is that Bafana Bafana will be the 1st host side ever not to make it past round one eliminations.
Well, I’ve now received the following confirmation, via official Press Release on the matter:
“The Blue Bulls Company (Pty) Ltd and SA Rugby will meet with the Portfolio Committee on Sport and Recreation tomorrow, 20 April 2010 in Cape Town.
The meeting has been scheduled to discuss the use of Loftus Versfeld for the remainder of the Vodacom Super 14 rugby games. No further comments will be made available until after the meeting”
Mmmm, ek verstaan nog steeds nie hoekom die Bulle enigsens hul stadion aan die sokker okes oorhandig het nie? Hoekom kon die ouens nie sokker speel in die Orlando stadium nie?
Oor die WC sokker, wel, ek hoop dit is ‘n moerse sukses! Ek is al klaar dankbaar vir al die roadword upgrades en die nuwe lughawe lyk ook bedonnerd!
14@ Koning – Loftus is Pretoria se grootste stadion…. dis hoekom.
Orlando Stadium is in Soweto, Suid van Johannesburg.
Daar word nogal baie sokkerwedstryde op Loftus gespeel, van laaankal af… handige ekstra inkomste vir die Blou Bulle….
GBS, I can see that soccer is not really your game because even if Bafana doesn’t make it past the 1st round they won’t be the first host country to achieve that dubious destinction. I know for a fact that a country of no less significance than Spain already achieved that in 1982.
But ok, that’s a sideline…
You don’t want a small wager on Bafana making the 2nd round do you. Something small like a good bottle of the best Cape red or something similar?
Ash, nooit daai stash hou, my broer – al is daai blikkies so oud dat party vannie manne deesdae daai blikkies mettie jaws of life moet oepe!
fender @ 16
lol
i’m not a huge soccer fan …. jeez, i dont even understand the game
but
hey, come wc time
and i’ll be cheering my team (bafana) all the way!!!
16@ Fender – Ja hoekom nie, Kom ons sit ‘n Bottel KWV Roodeberg op die spel… ek het ‘n hele klompie van hulle in my versameling…. waar gaan jy joune vandaan kry?
Bafana Bafana is nou amptelik No 86 in die wêreld sokker rankings, nie waar nie…. hehehehe
Hier’s hy.
Ash,I dont know much about rugby either; I don’t even own my own cue! 😉
Hehe GBS!
Moenie worrie nie, ek kry altyd as ek ees begin soek. So disse botteltjie Roodeberg dan…
BTW het jy al Piet se song vannie held op Loftus Versveld gevang?
20@ Kitaarsnaar – Check Comment #18 NOU!
Ek het na daai song gaan luister daai dag, maar jinne mens raak so besig dat ek hom nie gedownload het nie.
Baie aanvallige label, ek moet bieg….
ok, gbs as jy meer as een het,
is ek ook in!!
……
bafana om die tweede rondte te haal
23@ Asbak – OK, ek seg mos ek het paar… kyk mooi na die Label op die foto, dis 2004 vintage nogal… so hy’s al mooi 6 jaartjies jonk… uitstekende ouderdom vir ‘n lekwar drink botteltjie!
So by the way, wie moet Bafanny speel om deur die 1ste rondte te advance…. hehehehe
Wys jou hoeveel ek van Poofball weet….
Flok, nou het ek vir ASbak en Kitaartjie ook gesnoeker…. komaan, wie is in ons groep… en hoeveel in die groep gaan deur na Rondte 2?
gbs @ 25
jys besig om oud te raak, bru
..
as jy nie meer wil leer nie, is jy besig om vinnig oud te raak!
gbs @ 26
ek dink jy’t dit nodig bru
so gaan kyk self
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/index.html
Hehehehe…. we’re in a Group with Mexico, Uruguy & France…. we’ll be last in the group for sure…. hahahaha
#28
o, en ek hoop dit prikkel jou belangstelling
indien nie, is hier nog een
die beste spelers wat nie ñ wc kon wen nie
…
http://sportige.com/best-players-history-no-world-cup/
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