SA pitches in a pitiful state

South African soccer is facing a pitch crisis, with the World Cup legacy now lying in tatters as pitches at the top stadiums are rapidly deteriorating.

"It is very worrying; this is the time that the pitches should all be at their best," said the Premier Soccer League's Ronnie Schloss yesterday.

After the debacle at Nelspruit and all the negative publicity for the country during the Africa Cup of Nations, there is now a similar crisis at Cape Town and Polokwane, iconic venues which have consistently kept up a high standard of playing surface but which have suddenly slipped.

Two matches have been switched from the Peter Mokaba Stadium, where the playing surface has been condemned by the PSL.

"We are not using it for the next few weeks," said Schloss, who is embarking tomorrow on a tour across the country to try and get to the bottom of the crisis. He will be holding talks with municipalities.

"We are trying to work with them to resolve the situation," he said.

He will start in Cape Town where the field was a horror last week when Ajax Cape Town and Moroka Swallows drew.

As a result, Ajax have switched tonight's league encounter with Bloemfontein Celtic to Athlone Stadium.

"We need the best conditions to play in," said their public relations officer Thabiso Mekoto.

Nelspruit's Mbombela Stadium proved a public relations disaster at the Nations Cup when a fungus destroyed the grass and sand was used to try to solve the problem, leading to bitter condemnations by top players and coaches alike.

It is due to return to use this Saturday when Wits host Kaizer Chiefs in the first round of the Nedbank Cup.

Soccer City also lost its lustre after a decision by the stadium management to allow a pop concert to take place there just days before the Nations Cup final - a decision condemned by Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula.

Even though it was claimed the pitch would be perfect for the showpiece game, it was patchy and dry in places; a far cry from the lush green surface that played host to the World Cup final between Spain and the Netherlands some two-and-a-half years ago.

Polokwane municipality laid new turf at the Peter Mokaba Stadium last year but it has been poorly maintained, according to resident club Black Leopards.

They said they were shocked at the poor state when they played Wits there last week and immediately decided to switch their next home game, against Chiefs tomorrow night, to the old stadium next door.

"Rodney Ramagalela was injured when he fell in one of the ditches on the field. He hobbled out of the game as a result," said Leopards' director of marketing Tshifhiwa Thidiela.

"We really struggled to play, it was so bad and that is why we have moved."

"It is very worrying because we still have half a season to go with a lot of games in a short period of time," added Schloss.