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The issue of the state of our stadiums around the country does not seem to have received the attention that it deserves from authorities.
It would be quite an embarrassing scenario if the Warriors end up being forced to play their home games in a neighbouring country. The Confederation of African Football has banned the use of all stadiums in Harare for use by the national team due to their deplorable state and failure to meet expected standards. We believe that these standards are known benchmarks that Caf did not wake up one day and sneak up on poor Zimbabwe with a surprise requirement that saw our stadiums fail to measure up. It is our belief that these standards are necessary for the good of the game, the health of the players and even the safety of the spectators.
It is our hope that the Government, through the Ministry of Local Government and Sport, is frantically working behind the scenes to restore normalcy. It would indeed be a sad day if the country were to be forced to play home games in another country, 40 years into independence, and just a month before the independence celebrations that are traditionally held at the stadiums. We call upon all involved in the upkeep of our stadiums to up their game and give the issue the seriousness it deserves. Zimbabwe deserves better. Elsewhere in this edition, we carry an article on the only hope for Zimbabwe at the moment, Barbourfields Stadium, that is due for inspection before it can be certified fit to play host to international games. However, it seems the problems that have blighted other local authorities could also prove to be our undoing since quite a number of requirements are yet to be met. For example, the issue of floodlights at the stadium was highlighted four years ago but it would appear there has not been any movement towards rectifying the inadequacies that were pointed out then.
It is also our view that if the Government, or any body is charged with taking care of stadiums, they need to have the capacity to do so. We are aware that local authorities receive a large chunk of revenue from football matches, a situation that has seen clubs complain in the past that they were left with very little to take care of their own costs. We need to see this money being put to good use. Also, the country periodically stages continental tournaments, leading to major infrastructural developments and committees to run such games. However, a lack of clarity on the responsibility to maintain such structures after the games has plagued good netball,soccer, hockey and swimming facilities around the country. Barbourfields has a generator that has been lying idle for years now but games cannot be played under floodlights there due to a lack of a guarantee of uninterrupted power supply. Countries that play their home matches away from home do so because of disease outbreaks or war, and we have neither. Let us fix our stadiums, and preserve our dignity as a nation.
Online Reporter