Online Reporter
Petros Kausiyo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIFA and the National Sports Stadium authorities are set to get a first major insight into whether the refurbishment work being carried out at the giant facility is on course to meet the Confederation of African Football standards when an international expert flies in today to inspect the infrastructure.
Muhammad Feizal Sidat, a CAF stadium expert and the continental body’s former head of professional football, will be on a mission to assess first-hand, the work that is being done, including the installation of bucket seats, electronic turnstiles, modern dressing rooms, medical rooms, and anti-doping rooms.
Sidat has been invited to carry out a preliminary assessment of on-going works at the National Stadium ahead of a full CAF inspection in July.
Zimbabwe is currently without a CAF-certified stadium, a sad development that has seen the various national teams, including the Mighty Warriors and the Young Mighty Warriors, having to play their home matches away from their natural home. This includes the national Women’s Under-20 side who are having to “host” Rwanda in Kigali for a World Cup qualifier.
The Warriors, on their part, have had to use Ugandan and South African venues for their Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup qualifiers. Government has expressed worry at the slow pace at which the job to modernise the National Sports Stadium is being done.
And both the Sports and Recreation Commission and ZIFA have added their voices of worry too as the stadium continued to fail to meet the CAF inspection deadlines. Now the stadium has to be in shape to convince the continental football controlling body’s crew when they come for the decisive July inspection.
According to the itinerary, Sidat is scheduled to briefly rest before getting down to business with a tour of the stadium this afternoon.
The experienced CAF-certified stadium expert will then hold meetings with ZIFA and the stadium authorities to give his feedback and recommendations on what needs to be done.
It is also expected that Sidat’s report could be used to give the national treasury an appreciation of the urgency and time-lines of the funding that could help the stadium to re-open its doors to international football in September.
“It is a key visit that should be beneficial to everyone who is keen to see the stadium work being finally completed. This is because when you get expert advice and guidelines, it means you will not be going ahead with renovations blindly without following that which CAF and FIFA want to see done,’’ sources close to the goings-on said.
“There is no doubt that Zimbabwe’s failure to have a CAF-certified stadium has continued to be a major talking point each time national team or club international assignments come.
“In some instances, it has resulted in the country being ridiculed, while at the same time, playing away at rented homes has cost ZIFA and the clubs that play in the Champions League and Confederation Cup a fortune when one looks at the financial outlay that is used.’’ Zimbabwe is not the first country where Sidat has been invited to undertake a preliminary assessment and come up with vital recommendations, which in turn shape the direction in which the renovations in those nations would be taking.
The former CAF Club Licensing manager has been on similar missions to countries such as Gambia, South Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and his native Mozambique.
On his inspection of the Independence Stadium in Gambia, the FIFA Master Alumni was also frank with the authorities there, telling them in July 2023 that.
“There were matters in relation to the accessibility of players and media. We wanted to ensure all these points were taken care of.
“In modern stadiums, we need to ensure that players, media, fans, and VIPs have their own entrances and exits so that there is no clash. This was one of the remarks we were trying to find alternative solutions to,” he told the Gambian media back then.
He is likely to make similar recommendations on his tour of the National Sports Stadium, as he also stressed that the environment around a stadium is crucial for safety. While the contractors will be battling to ensure the National Sports Stadium is ready for the CAF visit in July, the Warriors would have to contend with having to use neutral grounds when they return to action in June.
ZIFA announced yesterday that, in line with their partnership agreement with their counterparts in Morocco, they will stage the Warriors’ international friendlies against Burkina Faso and Niger in the North African country.
It was not immediately clear by yesterday whether an international friendly between the Warriors and Morocco’s Atlas Lions was also being arranged.
But the association, in a statement, confirmed the matches between the Warriors and the Stallions and against the Menas. “The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) is pleased to officially announce two upcoming international friendly matches for the Zimbabwe Senior Men’s National Team, the Warriors, as part of ongoing preparations for future competitive fixtures,” read part of the statement from ZIFA.
“The Warriors will travel to Casablanca, Morocco, to take on Burkina Faso on 6 June 2025, followed by a clash against Niger on 10 June 2025. These matches present an important opportunity for Michael Nees and his technical team to assess player readiness, test combinations, and build cohesion as the team continues its journey of growth and development on the international stage. “Both Burkina Faso and Niger offer strong opposition, and these encounters will provide valuable competitive experience for our squad. ZIFA, in collaboration with the technical team, remains committed to ensuring that the Warriors are well-prepared to represent the nation with pride and purpose.
“These friendlies are part of a broader strategy to give our national team regular high-level match exposure in anticipation of upcoming qualifiers and tournaments,’’ ZIFA said.
With German coach Michael Nees seeking to maximise on any window of opportunity he can get to prepare his squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations scheduled for Morocco in December, the Warriors are set to capitalise on the off-season break in the professional leagues to call on all their top guns for the match-ups against West African opposition.
