Caf ban on National Sports Stadium now effective

Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter

THE ban on the National Sports Stadium came into effect on Sunday after the final whistle of Zimbabwe’s tie against Ethiopia that ended in a 1-1 stalemate.

As it stands, Zimbabwe has no stadium allowed to host international matches.

Caf last month indicated that the Group G World Cup qualifier against Ethiopia would be the last international encounter to be played at the National Sports Stadium until outstanding issues are addressed.

Urgent areas of concern that need to be addressed at the National Sports Stadium include erection of individual numbered bucket seats. According to the report, the seats must be made of an unbreakable and non-flammable material.

They must have a backrest of a minimum height of 30cm when measured from the seat. Caf said the stadium should be equipped with modern electronic turnstiles and automated systems.

The stadium owners must install a functional Venue Operations Centre (VOC) with a good overview of the stadium equipped with CCTV monitors.

It should have an override capability over the public address system in case of emergency announcements. The VOC should be staffed and serve as a command centre for security and safety operations.

The Caf inspector also condemned the B-Arena, adding that it needs to be renovated in line with Caf training field infrastructure requirements. – @innocentskizoe