Chippa United chairman Siviwe ‘Chippa’ Mpengesi is celebrating 10 years of the Chilli Boys being an Eastern Cape club, specifically based in the Nelson Mandela Bay region.
After being in and out of the Premiership, the Chilli Boys relocated from Cape Town to Gqeberha in 2014 and have never been relegated since moving to the Eastern Cape.
“As Chippa United we are completing 10 years in Gqeberha. The politicians of Gqeberha took a bold decision 10 years ago, to say we cannot accept to have an asset like this stadium worth billions of rands after the World Cup, this asset becoming a white elephant,” Mpengesi said on Monday.
“We got here from Cape Town. At that time in Cape Town we had our own challenges. We took a decision of accepting that call. That time the Eastern Cape had been 14 years without their own PSL club. We signed a 20-year agreement. Now we are half way. We are hoping after 10 years to come we will still be here, talking about another 20 years.”
Mpengesi also disclosed that he’s been mandated to go out and woo some other Premiership clubs so that they can play some of their home matches at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
“I’ve got a task to do, to see if I can negotiate with those small teams who compete in the PSL to see if they can bring some of their big games,” Mpengesi said.
Mpengesi added: “We decided to take some of the small games to Buffalo City. The municipality has agreed. We’ve got Wolfson that is not accredited by the PSL.”
On the Chilli Boys squad, Mpengesi said: “We have managed to secure a very strong squad. We have our first game on Wednesday. We are playing Orlando Pirates.” – Monwabisi Jimlongo
