Chronicle Editor
Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIFA First Instance Board, which is responsible for certifying stadia for Premier Soccer League matches, will in three weeks’ time embark on a countrywide tour to reassess the state of facilities that will be used by PSL teams.
The football motherbody’s spokesperson, Xolisani Gwesela said following a first-round visit carried last month, they noted that most stadia are in a deplorable state.
Gwesela said they advised stadium owners what needs to be done before the next round of inspection, which should be before the season kicks off.
Unpacking the roadmap for sport resumption in Harare yesterday, Youth, Sport, Arts, and Recreation Minister Kirsty Coventry said activities will return in a staggered format, with the PSL and women’s league kicking off football activities.
“We are excited about the return of football and as you may be aware, most facilities have gone for more than a year without functioning. I don’t want to hide anything, during our tour in the last week where we had PSL on board, we discovered that a majority of the stadiums are in a deplorable state.
“Since they are in a bad state, there is a need by stadium owners to urgently renovate the facilities. We will carry out two more inspections before the start of games, with the next coming in three weeks and we are appealing to authorities to attend to the matters of stadia with urgency,” Gwesela said.
Facilities that are in good state, according to FIB sources, are the National Sports Stadium in Harare, Barbourfields Stadium in Bulawayo, Baobab Stadium in Ngezi, Triangle’s Gibbo Stadium and Zvishavane’s Mandava Stadium.
The country’s giants Highlanders and Bulawayo City use Barbourfields, with Chicken Inn and Bulawayo Chiefs sharing Luveve Stadium.
Bulawayo City Council has started working on fixing Luveve Stadium by cutting overgrown grass at the facility.
Chronicle Sport has it on good authority that Bulawayo City FC want to use White City Stadium as their home ground and the local authority, which had abandoned the facility, is expected to speedily attend to the venue’s shortcomings.
Pictures exposing the sorry state of Gweru’s Ascot Stadium have been trending on social media in the last week.
Other facilities used by Premiership teams that the FIB will visit include Rufaro (Harare), Kariba’s Nyamhunga, Vhengere Stadium in Rusape and Mutare’s Sakubva. — @ZililoR
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