Playing surfaces at Orlando and FNB have been replaced at a cost of R16m

Stadium Management SA (SMSA) is racing against the clock to have the FNB Stadium pitch in a playable condition for Wednesday's league opening match between Kaizer Chiefs and Polokwane City.

- By Kgomotso Mokoena

However, SMSA CEO Bertie Grobbelaar ruled out any doubt about the match taking place at the venue, stating that with their 24-hour operation, the pitch will be in a playable condition.

This comes after the Orlando Stadium, which SMSA also manages, came under heavy criticism last week for its playing surface when Orlando Pirates played against Polokwane City in the MTN8 quarterfinals.

Similar to Orlando, the FNB pitch has an undesirable covering on the north side of the stadium.

In May, just before the preceding season was concluded, SMSA embarked on a complete replacement of the FNB hybrid pitch for the start of the new 2025/26 campaign. For the Orlando pitch, they decided to renovate and improve the playing surface.