adminWhile the mining community is still basking in the glory of promotion to the top flight league, that euphoria may be engulfed in disappointment if the gold miners do not put their act together.
There are certain standards which are Fifa approved which their stadium must meet. Failure to meet these standards would see the stadium deemed unsuitable for PSL matches.
Some of the requirements the stadium must meet are an acceptable size of the pitch with Fifa approved dimensions. The stadium must also provide changing rooms for both home and away teams.
Changing rooms for match officials must also be provided and security is a must to avoid endangering people’s lives whilst watching a game of football. They must also provide a centre for members of the media.
If How Mine fail to meet these standards they will be left with no choice but to play their home games at either White City or Luveve stadium.
But to play in Bulawayo they have to clear another hurdle by negotiating with the Bulawayo City Council before they even think of playing in the city.
In an interview with Chronicle Sport, How Mine chairman Mlondolozi Nkomo put on a brave face and insisted that his team would definitely play at home this season.
“I am quite aware that our ground must meet certain standards and we are doing our best to make sure that the stadium is upgraded in time for the new season.
“We are actually working around the clock and we have already engaged individuals and companies who are in the construction and engineering industry to help us.
“These individuals and companies will come up with designs and drawings and then we map the way forward. At the moment our ground can only accommodate 3000 people,” said Nkomo.
Pressed further if they would actually finish in time and avoid being found wanting as time is not on their side, Nkomo said it their desire to play at home.
“It is my desire and also our supporters’ desire to play at home. If other options come up we are prepared to weigh them but our stadium is not all that bad.
“In the Southern Region Division One Soccer League How Mine stadium was regarded as one of the best. Of course that was in Division One but now we must meet PSL standards.
“But I can assure you that we are not far from meeting those standards because there are only a few things that need to be upgraded,” said Nkomo.
But still Nkomo must convince the How Mine community, Zifa, PSL and the nation that they are ready.
“At the moment I cannot say we are ready but we are doing something and there is no need for the community to panic.
“We will sit down with the mining board and present our proposals because the management makes the final decision.
“There are a number of factors such as the project design, the capacity and time frame to carry out the project.
“At the end of the day we want to develop a good stadium that will add value to the community and host traditional football giants like Highlanders and Dynamos without any problem,” said Nkomo.
Zifa Southern Region secretary general Brian Moyo said he is not in a position to comment on the issue of How Mine FC and he referred this paper to PSL chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele.
“We as Zifa and PSL do annual stadia inspections before the season starts. The PSL have their own inspection team and we have our own inspection team.
“During our inspection we look at a lot of things like stadium capacity and the state of the pitch surface.
“In the case of How Mine you can talk to Kennedy Ndebele as he is the one who is in a position to comment about the How Mine issue,” said Moyo.
Efforts to get in touch with Ndebele were however fruitless as his mobile phone went ringing without being answered.
How Mine won the Zifa Southern Region Division One League after a rigorous campaign with 65 points from 32 games. ZPC Hwange were in hot pursuit with 64 points from the same number of games.
Winning promotion in the top flight league could have been easy for How Mine. Their biggest challenge now before they even think of playing Highlanders or Dynamos is to upgrade and finish their stadium in time.
Online Reporter