AN electrifying and yet worrisome atmosphere is expected when Black Leopards host Bloemfontein Celtic today at Thohoyandou Stadium (3pm).
This will be Lidoda Duvha’s first league match at their Venda venue after they were asked to upgrade it to FIFA standards by Premier Soccer League before they can start playing at the 40 000-capacity stadium.
The vibe from the Venda people for this clash has been fantastic as they are expecting nothing but a win from their home team.
Even their head coach, Joel Masutha, admitted that the pressure is mounting.
“The excitement about this game is unbelievable,” said Masutha.
“This is like our first league game in the PSL. Everyone wants to be at the stadium and are talking about this clash. We know there’s high expectation, but that doesn’t bother me and the team. In fact, this is motivation for the team and we can’t disappoint our fans. We’ve been desperate to play at home and management, local municipalities and business people around Thohoyandou worked hard for this to happen.”
There was such a demand for tickets that Leopards even adjusted the price from R40 to R70 – but that didn’t stop this from being a sold-out event.
“All is set and we don’t want to see fans who don’t have tickets at the stadium,” said Leopards spokesman Berry Ramunenyiwa.
“Those caught with fake tickets will be arrested. We’ve upgraded entrances and tickets will be scanned. Police will be at all entrances, working with security personnel.”
He added: “We’ve worked hard with the Thulamela and Vhembe municipalities and other stakeholders to bring top-flight football to our fans at home. We can’t allow criminals to destroy everything we’ve worked so hard for.”
Masutha is praying that Venda’s scorching sun will come out so that Celtic can struggle.
“Celtic have a good coach, Steve Komphela, and have been in great form and have not lost so far,” said Masutha.
“It’ll be nice to be the first team to beat them in our first home game. But we’re optimistic, with our fans behind us we’ll get positive results.”
