Cape Town City coach Eric Tinkler expressed his disappointment that football is considered a secondary sport in Cape Town compared to rugby. He also criticized the decision to have Stellenbosch play their games away from Cape Town.

Venues like Athlone Stadium and Danie Carven Stadium were damaged by heavy rain in Cape Town and further deteriorated during the Junior Rugby World Cup. However, unlike Stellenbosch, Cape Town City has been allowed to play their MTN8 semifinal against Orlando Pirates at DHL Stadium on Tuesday (19:00).

This venue will also host the Springboks against New Zealand in the Rugby Championship on Saturday.

“We are clearly second-class citizens, especially given the success of rugby in recent years,” said Tinkler. “Unfortunately, Cape Town doesn’t have many usable stadiums. This has always been a challenge. When I joined the club in 2016, we discussed building our own stadium, but the biggest obstacle has been securing a lease for the land at DHL Stadium. I don’t blame the management at DHL Stadium; the Stormers are there, and live concerts bring in significant revenue for maintaining the facility.”

“The unfortunate part is that we’re not just second-class to professional rugby; we’re second-class to amateur rugby,” Tinkler continued. “The Junior World Cup shouldn’t have been held at Athlone Stadium, as it prevented professional clubs from using the venue. We understand about DHL Stadium, but do we really need to use Athlone Stadium? That’s what I find sad. These are the challenges we face, and we have to do our best to address them.”

Due to the rehabilitation of Athlone Stadium and Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch has been forced to play their home games at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. They played their second leg of the CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round there this past weekend and will also host Mamelodi Sundowns in Durban for the second leg of the MTN8 semifinals on Sunday (15:00).

“It’s sad to see Stellenbosch having to play their home games in Durban,” said Tinkler. “This year has been the wettest in Cape Town in a long time. It’s not anyone’s fault, and you can see the condition of our training pitch; it’s the worst it’s ever been since I’ve been at the club.”