MAHLATSE MPHAHLELE | Organisers must improve crowd and traffic control this season

The 2026-2027 Betway Premiership is upon us, with Orlando Pirates starting the defence of their championship trophy against rookies Milford FC at Orlando Stadium on Saturday.

The Buccaneers knocked Mamelodi Sundowns off their perch in a campaign that was only decided on the last day.

We wait for another season with hope of improvement on all fronts from all parties involved.

There are a lot of things that went well last season but in equal measure, there were issues that need to be addressed and improved to elevate our professional football product.

As I look forward to what should be an interesting season where Sundowns will be out to reclaim the trophy from Pirates, I want to start off by highlighting some issues that need urgent attention.

I appeal to our football event organisers to relook at the problems of security and traffic control around stadiums during big matches because they make for an unpleasant experience for footballgoers.

A lot of people, like us journalists, work in the sport and football lovers are drawn to these events for entertainment and to support their teams, and we deserve a lot better.

The fans who fork out their hard-earned money to support football should expect better.

Without fail, there is always traffic congestion and chaos around stadiums during big matches, and it makes one wonder why the relevant stakeholders can’t get it right because the situation is a ticking time bomb.

I always arrive early, with at least four hours to kick-off, on days of marquee events at stadiums to avoid chaos, but there were occasions when I was stuck in traffic even when I arrived three hours before the start of the match.

This scenario is common during big matches at FNB Stadium, Orlando Stadium and Loftus, where you ask yourself why metro police, SAPS and private security don’t have appropriate measures to deal with this issue once and for all.

I argue that if I arrive at the vicinity of the stadium at 1.30pm for a 3pm match, I am not late.

Even with such an arrival time, it is ultimately the duty of the organisers to ensure the environment is conducive for me to access the areas I am allowed in with ease.

Over the past few years, I have noticed a slight change in supporter behaviour, with some arriving early at stadiums.

However, they arrive early only to be confronted with problems with ticket validation.

Some recent matches involving Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs and Sundowns were oversubscribed, posing serious safety issues.

This happened because security allowed some fans to enter the stadium red zone without valid tickets.

It is true that our category A matches, domestic and continental, are a ticking time bomb, as described by sport minister Gayton McKenzie, and something must be done urgently.

Problems occur not only before the match.

Sometimes you are stuck in traffic outside the stadium for three or four hours after the game because of accidents due to reckless drunk driving where there is a lack of visible traffic officers.

Close to the end of last season, an unpleasant situation occurred at Orlando Stadium after Pirates’ draw with Durban City, where there was gridlock at about 8pm despite the match having ended at about 5pm.

We need more women and children to attend matches but they will choose to stay at home if things don’t improve because sometimes going to the stadium feels like a visit to the dentist.

The other thing that must improve this season is scheduling of matches by the league so that all teams move at the same time for fairness and transparency, especially towards the end of the season.

I am fully aware it is a difficult balancing act for the league because Sundowns usually add more matches to their programme because they consistently reach the knockout stages of the Champions League.

It may be worse this season if Downs and Pirates reach the knockout stages, but efforts must be made to ensure teams move on an equal footing during the business end.

The season is starting without VAR, and there is a hope that one day it will be implemented in the PSL, as in many other countries where the technology is used.

There is also the serious issue of mental health, which I hope clubs will prioritise because footballers operate in a high-pressure environment.

One thing I hope will change is the way some of the clubs deal with media because there is often an antagonistic relationship between us and the teams, which can translate to the players and coaches.

More often, most of the clubs prefer to make players and coaches available for interviews on radio and TV, but I feel print remains a crucial medium and deserves similar access.

Clubs must also realise they are not in competition with journalists when it comes to content creation and they must make players available for podcasts because of their popularity.

The league must also get tough with clubs that don’t hold media days before home matches, as stipulated in the media manual.

Staying with the theme of wanting everyone to improve, we as the media should have taken time during the off-season to reflect because there is a lot of nonsense coming from our side.

With the utmost respect, there are people who walk around with PSL accreditation, but they occupy the space playing around and only attending big games to take pictures.

There is no denying that the standards of football journalism, which I am a part of, have dropped dramatically, and serious intervention is needed to save our noble profession.

Our football product is good, but everyone must improve to take it to a higher level.

TimesLIVE