Satmos Blame Council For Floodlights Failure
Ivy Matlho | Monday December 14, 2015 10:19
The game, which was supposed to kick-off at 7pm, had to be called off after some floodlights did not switch on.
Satmos assistant coach, Mogolodi Chepete said as the home team they were not aware that the lights were not working.
He said SPTC did not inform them about the situation.
“I was surprised to see that some floodlights were not working because we were never informed about the situation,” he said.
Orapa United coach, Madinda Ndlovu said his team was ready to play. “We were ready to play, but the condition did not favour. Someone did not do something right but at the end of the day, it is a game of football anything unexpected can happen,” he said. Ndlovu said his main worry is that they travelled a long distance and have spent money to honour the fixture.
“The game is going to be re-scheduled and we do not have a problem with that, but the question now is who is going to pay for the expenses of the next game,” he said, before the game was re-scheduled to yesterday.
David Ratlou, one of the match officials said they had suggested the game be played on Saturday morning or Sunday, but both teams had initially refused.
He said Satmos explained that they are unable to play on Saturday morning because their players would be held up by work commitments while Orapa United said they could not stay longer in Selebi-Phikwe as they did not have the budget.
Ratlou said home teams should always ensure that there is no fault in the stadium.
“It is the responsibility of home teams to ensure that everything is in good condition to avoid such incidents,” he said.
Different teams have previously raised complaints over Selebi-Phikwe stadium condition. Township Rollers head coach, Mark Harrison once criticised the condition of the pitch stating that it was poor while Nico United have raised a complaint over floodlights. In a previous interview, acting Selebi-Phikwe town clerk (technical services), Mogorosi Kokoro promised to fix the floodlights.
He said the council was aware of the situation and was working around the clock to replace bulbs. “ Each light has six ballast, the council is working around the clock to replace them,” he said then.
The game went ahead yesterday and finished 5-0 in favour of Orapa United.