Orlando Pirates will have to change the venue for their CAF Champions League semi-final home match against Egyptian outfit Pyramids FC next weekend.
The Soweto giants will host the Egyptian side in Johannesburg for the first-leg of the semi-final on Friday, 18 April. They secured their place in the semi-finals of the prestigious competition by defeating Algerian side MC Alger 1-0 on aggregate.
The Bucs won 1-0 at the Stade du 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers courtesy of a Mohau Nkota strike. A goalless draw on Wednesday at Orlando Stadium set up a clash with Pyramids.
Pirates have played their CAF home matches at the Orlando Stadium and ordinarily would have hosted Pyramids at the same venue. They are at home in the first leg before they travel to Cairo for the return leg on the week of 25 April.
However, the home tie will not take place at Orlando Stadium, as the venue is scheduled to host a different event that same weekend.
WHY PIRATES HAVE TO MOVE PYRAMIDS CLASH TO FNB STADIUM
Grace Bible Church, a prominent megachurch based in Soweto, is set to host a three-day Easter conference at Orlando Stadium. The event, which kicks off on Friday, 18 April, until Sunday, 20 April, will coincide with the Buccaneers’ scheduled game against Pyramids. As a result, the Bucs will use the FNB Stadium for the match, as the conference was booked before the fixture’s confirmation.
Consequently, Pirates recently hosted Mamelodi Sundowns at the FNB Stadium. FNB is run by Stadium Management South Africa, which manages the Orlando Stadium.
With Jose Riveiro set to leave the club at the end of the season, the Buccaneers are on the cusp of making history. Under the Spaniard, Pirates have won five trophies and are in two semi-finals.
They take on Marumo Gallants in the Nedbank Cup semi on Sunday before turning their focus to the Champions League, where they remain the only unbeaten team.
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