SAFA has officially announced a change in venue for the upcoming home AFCON qualifying match of Bafana Bafana against Congo Brazzaville, which is scheduled for 11 October 2024.
Hugo Broos’ men are set to play back-to-back matches with Congo as they battle for a spot in the next year’s continental showpiece.
The first meeting was scheduled to take place at Toyota Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein. However, the match will now be held at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
According to SAFA CEO Lydia Monyepao Bloemfontein had been chosen initially because of the support they gave the national team in a match against Zimbabwe.
“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 Brazzaville,” she said.
She stated that, due to circumstances beyond their control, they were compelled to relocate the game to Gqeberha.
“But there were certain issues beyond our control that saw us take the game away,” she added.
WHY THE VENUE WAS CHANGED?
It is understood that a rugby match is scheduled in the same venue, which may have an impact on the pitch. This was the primary reason for the decision made.
“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 explained.
“Because we were notified of the rugby games that were happening before then, and we also had other logistical challenges 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.”
