It appears that the Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg, which is set to host the exhibition match between South Africa and Zambia as part of the Nelson Mandela Challenge, is facing challenges with its pitch condition. The field was reportedly damaged during a concert by the Linkin Park group, attended by a large crowd of nearly 65,000 people.
Photos shared on Twitter depict the poor state of one side of the pitch, presumably due to the heavy foot traffic and staging associated with the concert. Despite the damage, efforts are being made to restore the field to a usable state before the scheduled match between Bafana Bafana (South Africa) and Chipolopolo (Zambia).
Stadium gardeners will engage in a time trial to address the issues and ensure that the pitch is in an acceptable condition for the football match. The challenges with the pitch highlight the importance of proper maintenance and consideration for different events that take place in multi-purpose stadiums to preserve the quality of playing surfaces.
