PSL, clubs must sort out traffic and crowd control chaos before something terrible happens

The Premier Soccer League (PSL) has largely performed well from the commercial standpoint, fixture management, safety at stadiums and generally running the organisation professionally. 

Even on the field of play, the quality of football is improving every season and proof of that is the exciting start to the 2024-25 campaign, where there has been an increase in matches played in front of good or sold-out crowds. 

It is welcome to see most of our matches are well attended, but that has come with traffic control problems that need urgent attention and remedy from all parties involved in match organisation. 

Clubs and all parties involved in organisation of matches usually dismally fail supporters when it comes to controlling the crowd and its entrance to stadiums and the traffic outside grounds. 

The chaos that is seen outside stadiums has the potential to hurt the image of the league and undermine the good work that has been done over the years to make it one of the best on the continent and even in the world. 

Getting into some of the venues is a nightmare of epic proportions because large crowds and traffic are not properly controlled.

This matter must be given urgent attention. If not, criminals will take advantage of the chaos to discourage people from attending matches and this will have a devastating effect on the clubs who rely on gate takings to run their operations. 

Chaos reigned supreme outside Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday night where the Betway Premiership match between SuperSport United and Kaizer Chiefs was delayed by 30 minutes as supporters were stuck in heavy traffic that people claimed was not properly managed. 

Delayed kickoffs have an impact on television. 

What contributed to the mayhem outside Peter Mokaba, where Matsatsantsa went on to shade Amakhosi 2-1, was there was a well-attended gospel concert next door at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium, a few hundred metres from the new venue that was constructed for the 2010 World Cup.

Fans must take responsibility for the culture of arriving late at stadiums because that also contributes to the chaos, but in most cases there is little visibility of traffic police or any form of law enforcement. 

I am sure safety and wellbeing of supporters are priorities for the league and the clubs, but this disorder has gone on far too long and it cannot be allowed to continue any further. 

No-one wants to leave their home to be stuck in traffic for prolonged periods of time, with the threat of being mugged outside the stadium while they are trying to access their preferred form of entertainment. 

I did not experience any traffic problems at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday because I arrived about two hours before kickoff, but I experienced the disarray that unfolded on Friday outside Orlando Stadium. 

Pirates beat AmaZulu 2-1 in what was by all accounts an exciting match, but this reporter did not get to witness any of that action. I was stuck in traffic from about 6pm just after I turned off the N1 freeway onto the Soweto Highway and only entered the stadium in time for the post-match interviews, long after the game was finished. 

Traffic was still gridlocked after 9pm and the frustrating thing was that there was no sign of traffic officials , and e impatient people made it worse as they overtook the standing vehicles into oncoming traffic. This only worsened the gridlock. 

These are not isolated events. Another example in recent weeks was the exciting match that was a true spectacle — Kaizer Chiefs' 2-1 league win against Mamelodi Sundowns in front of 85,000 spectators at FNB Stadium. Again, that match started an hour late because of traffic congestion leading to the ground.

For the fans leaving their cars or taxis to enter the stadium, there were not enough security officials at the gates, and no staff or barriers to steer people into orderly queues, so fans had to push through scrums to reach the entrances.

Ticket-holding fans should not have to scrum to enter stadiums for PSL matches. They deserve better for the hard-earned money they've spent on those tickets, and the effort they've made to get off their couches and come to the stadium to watch a live game.

On Friday in Orlando it was sad to see ticket-holding supporters stuck in traffic and forced to watch the game on their mobile devices or listen on the radio. Just like me, most of those fans did not get to watch the match and unfortunately football may lose some of them to other sports that are better-organised, because they can’t continue to put up with such amateurish organisation. 

The PSL and its clubs must remember supporters spend a considerable amount of money on transport, food and beverages to get to the matches and some will see no point of returning if organisers cannot promise a comfortable, safe experience. 

Over the past few seasons, there has been a growing concern about poor traffic control. Regularly after the Chiefs-Pirates Soweto derby there are still far too many cars stuck around FNB Stadium two to three hours after the match. Those who attend Sundowns matches will attest to the chaos that always ensues around Loftus and Lucas Moripe Stadium whenever they play marque fixtures against Pirates and Chiefs. 

It is also often the same traffic nightmare for fans when Sundowns are up against top continental teams such as Al Ahly, Wydad Casablanca or TP Mazembe in the Champions League. 

Unfortunately, we have normalised this situation and it has gone on far too long and it is about time the PSL, clubs and all parties involved find a solution before something terrible happens.