'No more tickets were issued than the capacity allows for,' said Bertie Grobbelaar.
Bertie Grobbelaar says only the allocated amount of tickets have been issued for the Nedbank Cup final. Picture: Phakamisa Lensman/BackpagePix
The Premier Soccer League said on Wednesday that only the correct amount of tickets have been issued for Saturday’s Nedbank Cup final between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
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The PSL statement comes after the company responsible for ticketing, Open Tickets, had acknowledged there had been issues with their ticketing system when sales opened on Monday.
Speaking on behalf of the PSL, Stadium Management SA managing director Bertie Grobbelaar said that while a crash in the ticketing system meant fans without tickets had also been charged, no extra tickets had been issued. He added that all fans who paid for tickets but did not receive them would be refunded.
“The capacity of the stadium is 49 307 seats. This is a reduced capacity, in terms of a proper grading certificate and compliance with the SASRIA Act,” said Grobbelaar.
“There were 5307 hospitality tickets and 3000 complimentary tickets. 41 000 general access tickets went on sale. The minute ticket sales opened they sold out in 90 minutes.
“This caused a delay, or crash, call it what you want. The fact is tickets went on sale and the system allowed more people to pay for tickets than there was capacity for.
“This immediately raises concerns and a lot of false information went out that too many people had been issued tickets. This was not the case.
“No more tickets were issued than the capacity allows for.”
Open Tickets had already issued an apology this week for the problems with their system.
“An unprecedented surge in demand caused system delays shortly after sales opened on Monday, 5 May 2025,” read a statement.
“We understand the frustration this has caused, and we are urgently working to resolve the matter. A full report will be submitted to the PSL.
”Affected customers will receive direct communication regarding ticket status, digital reissues, or refunds where applicable.”
“We remain committed to resolving the issue and restoring full service as quickly as possible. Further updates will be shared via our official platforms.”
Grobbelaar also pointed out that Open Tickets were also used for last weekend’s Betway Premiership Soweto derby at FNB Stadium, without these issues.
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PSL CEO Mato Madlala, meanwhile, said there was no way the game will be moved to FNB Stadium, which usually hosts the derby and has a far larger capacity.
“It doesn’t matter where we take it (the derby). Demand always outlasts supply,” said Madlala.
Fans without tickets are also asked to stay away from the venue on Saturday.
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