Does Gayton McKenzie have plan for 'empty' Cape Town Stadium?

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Following Cape Town City FC’s sensational relegation from the Betway Premiership on Wednesday, the Mother City – and the Western Cape for that matter – won’t have a team in next season’s Betway Premiership.

That will leave the Cape Town Stadium in Green Point, built to host matches during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, empty for the 2025/26 football season.

The Citizens were beaten 1-0 by Orbit College at Olympia Park Stadium in Rustenburg on Wednesday which sealed their fate.

They will play in the Motsepe Foundation Championship (MFC) next season.

One wonders if Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie has a plan up his sleeve.

McKenzie was vocal last week regarding the City of Cape Town’s plan to turn part of the Athlone Stadium’s parking lot into a mixed-use development.

McKenzie was adamant that ‘We will never allow this, never ever.’

It’s unclear who McKenzie meant by ‘we’.

He went on to add that ‘we’ ‘have plans to attract big matches’ to Athlone – without mentioning what sport he was referring to.

He may now need another plan to ‘attract big matches’ to the Cape Town Stadium …

How we got to this point

As a reminder, Cape Town City FC won seven, drew six and lost 15 of their 28 Betway Premiership matches last season to finish 15th in the standings.

They scored a league-low 15 goals and conceded 31.

Durban City will replace Royal AM in the Betway Premiership next season, with Orbit College also now joining the top flight at the Citizens’ expense.

Unless Cape Town City FC can buy their way back into the Betway Premiership – stranger things have happened in South African football – they face a daunting task to fight their way back to the top tier.