LEBOGANG SEALE
The organisers of tomorrow’s big match between Pirates and Chiefs are hoping for an incident-free footballing carnival.
About 1 200 security guards and 260 SAPS officers are expected to police the massive 92 000-plus crowd expected at the FNB Stadium.
The current record attendance at the venue for a game between the two teams was a league fixture on February 26 last year, when 92 515 shoehorned into the “Calabash”, according to Jacques Grobbelaar, executive chairman of Stadium Management SA.
The match is categorised as a high-risk fixture, and Grobbelaar and the PSL have warned fans not to drive into the restricted zone around the Nasrec precinct unless they have valid match and parking tickets.
“This match will be an all ithikithi esandleni(ticket in the hand) affair. No accreditation or match ticket, no entry.”
To encourage fans to arrive early, the organisers have introduced “a happy hour”, an incentive that will see fans arriving three hours before kick-off getting free snack packs and discounted drinks.
To avoid congestion at the entrance points, tickets have been activated to allow entry at all the stadium’s turnstiles.
About 100 minibus taxis have been contracted from the Top Six Taxi Association to complement the Rea Vaya buses ferrying fans to the stadium. Gates open at 11.30am.
The match will be broadcast live on Supersport 4 and the SABC’s Laduma.
Kick-off is at 3.30pm.