The MTN8 final is headed to the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban this weekend after the Premier Soccer League awarded the KwaZulu-Natal province the rights to host the blockbuster fixture between Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns.
It was an announcement made soon after the Buccaneers sealed their place by beating Stellenbosch FC via the away goal rule despite actually losing the second leg semifinal tie in Soweto. A day later, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi took to social media to confirm he'd been in last-minute discussions with the sponsors and the League to try secure the cup final at FNB Stadium – without getting his way.
Soccer Laduma has been informed that KZN made the two clubs, in Pirates and Sundowns an offer they could not refuse.
"Lesufi tried his best, but he could not match the sort of money being offered, which is around R5 million each for the two clubs as part of the bidding process. The eThekwini Municipality got a huge backing from the province to give this a big push and ultimately they were convincing," said a source in the know.
As this is a cup competition, the costs are being carried out by the PSL and sponsors MTN, who are also dangling a carrot of R8 million for the title winners and only R800 000 for each of all the other seven teams.
It's clear how the offer was enticing for both Pirates and Sundowns, who can walk away with a hefty amount whether they win the cup or not.
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