Denis Onyango, Hlompho Kekana of Mamelodi Sundowns and Leonardo Castro of Kaizer Chiefs during the Absa Premiership match between Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns at FNB Stadium. (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)
According to the organisers, security has been upgraded as they look to ensure the match goes ahead without any incidents.
Stadium Management SA’s managing director Bertie Grobbelaar said they have heeded lessons from previous incidents where fans lost their lives.
“We will adhere to every security requirement. By law, we are required to have one security guard for every 100 people but we have done it at one security guard for every 50 spectators.
“Various police units will also be available to ensure order. The events of the past have made us more aware of the need for extra care with security to ensure the safety of everyone. I am confident everything will be in order to ensure safety.
“We cannot however foresee emergencies but we will be ready to deal with whatever issue may arise,” he said.
READ: Chiefs set to play Sundowns in league opener
One of the issues which was blamed when a stampede ensued and people died during last year’s Carling Black Label Cup was that some people had been sold fake tickets and they rioted when the security tried to prevent them from entering the stadium.
Grobbelaar said the matter was also taken into consideration and they have measures in place to detect fake tickets early on.
“We have a contingency plan with Computicket but I can’t go into detail about that. There are plans in place to avoid it. We have had numerous meetings with Computicket and we have ways in which faked tickets will be detected early,” he said.
The Shell Helix Ultra Cup will, meanwhile, be Amakhosi’s second preseason tournament after they won the Maize Cup in North West last weekend where they beat ABC Motsepe League team Buya Msuthu and Free State Stars.
Sundowns will, however, be a tougher opponent for Giovanni Solinas’ side. Masandawana have technically not had a break and have been actively training since June and played a match in the Caf Champions League on Tuesday.
Just over 40 000 tickets had been sold by Thursday afternoon, according to the organisers.
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