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Augustine Hwata Sports Reporter
WARRIORS coach Ian Gorowa had condemned the state of Rufaro and is now looking at playing all the next national team home matches at Barbourfields, which he feels has a better turf.
Gorowa said playing national team matches at Rufaro heightened the risk of injuries to players adding there was need to spread the national team games to venues outside Harare.
The coach made the remarks on Saturday in Bulawayo during an inter-provincial stakeholders’ meeting organised by Zifa president Cuthbert Dube.
“When I was appointed to the post of national team, the task was to make sure that we qualify for CHAN. Now that we have qualified for the finals in South Africa, I think we need to do better than (we did) at the previous two editions.
“I want Zimbabwe to go beyond the group stages and even win the cup. It’s not impossible and hopefully we should be able to achieve that with good preparations.
“My idea is that we should camp in South Africa and I will be talking to Zifa over that issue,” said Gorowa.
But before the Warriors can camp in South Africa, Gorowa is hoping that his troops will engage Mozambique in an international friendly at Barbourfields on December 8.
“The bigger picture is to qualify and do well at the Afcon 2015 but this will not be easy. I am requesting to Zifa that we play all our qualifying games for Afcon at Barbourfields instead of Harare.
“I feel that we have to spread our football and Harare should not have the right to host all the national team’s matches.
“Besides, the artificial turf at Rufaro is not up to standard and I think it’s important that we utilise Barbourfields. We have the National Sports Stadium, but of late the Warriors have not been getting good results (there).
“The other facilities like Sakubva are not Fifa approved and therefore Barbourfields will be ideal as we try to rediscover the past successes of the national team,” Gorowa said.
Speaking at the same meeting, Wavell Gunda, from Buymore Investments, said his company supported over 37 schoolchildren under the Cuthbert Dube Football Scholarship Fund and were looking at helping more underprivileged students.
Online Reporter