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Lawrence Moyo
Head Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE’S representatives to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) inter-club competitions, Ngezi Platinum and Dynamos, are bracing for significant losses when they play both legs of their preliminary round matches in foreign land.
CAF have blacklisted Zimbabwe and 25 other countries for failing to meet minimum stadium requirements for international matches ahead of the 2024/2025 Champions League and Confederation Cup matches.
The ban extends to national teams, who start qualifying matches for the 2025 African Cup of Nations in September.
The first legs of the preliminary round will take place between August 16 and 18, with the return legs scheduled for August 23-25.
And if they win, the Zimbabwean representatives will be involved in the second preliminary round, whose first legs are set for September 13-15, while the return legs are scheduled for September 20, after which the “money-spinning” group stages get underway.
Dynamos are hosting Zesco United of Zambia in South Africa, which has 11 venues that meet the minimum CAF requirements and is, by far, the best-equipped country on the continent in terms of hosting international matches.
The CAF-certified venues in South Africa are all on natural grass. They are Soccer City Stadium (FNB Stadium) and Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg, Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, Cape Town Stadium, Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein, Loftus Stadium and Lucas Moripe Stadium in Pretoria and Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.
Orlando Stadium is the most popular as six teams, including Dynamos and those from other blacklisted countries — Lesotho and Eswatini — submitted the venue as a possible adopted home for the CAF matches, while South African Premiership giants Orlando Pirates need the facility for their own Champions League and domestic action.
Cote d’Ivoire, Morocco and Egypt have six approved venues each, Algeria has five, Cameroon has four, Equatorial Guinea has three, while Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Botswana, Libya, Rwanda, Tunisia, Uganda and Zambia have two venues each.
Dynamos refused the temptation of playing the matches north of the Zambezi to try and maximise on attendance.
A heavyweight in Zambian football, Zesco is based in Ndola and uses Levy Mwanawasa Stadium as its home ground. Levy Mwanawasa Stadium is one of the two CAF-approved venues in Zambia, the other being Heroes National Stadium in Lusaka.
Dynamos believe they will generate more from Zimbabweans and Zambians based in South Africa than a largely Zambian audience if the match was to be hosted in Lusaka.
Ngezi Platinum have preferred Zambia, which would also be convenient for their DRC opponents AS Maniema’s travel logistics.
For both Ngezi Platinum and Dynamos to make money out of the CAF competitions, they need to reach the group stages and that means four matches on the road, of which the supposed home encounters will be costlier to stage.
This is the first time a Zimbabwean club is having to stage matches outside the country.
Already, Zimbabwe have hosted two of their 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers in foreign land — against Nigeria in Rwanda last year and against Lesotho in South Africa last month.
Previously, in 2019, FC Platinum were forced to take their CAF Champions League matches to Barbourfields Stadium in Bulawayo, instead of their own Mandava Stadium and, at one stage, they had to be content with Highlanders fans rooting for “sister club” Orlando Pirates of South Africa in one of the home matches.
While the game ended goalless, FC Platinum enjoyed being “home away from home” as the match attracted a record 23 164 paying spectators.
Another home game at Barbourfields attracted just over 4 000 fans, when FC Platinum hosted Horoya of Guinea in the same CAF Champions League campaign.
Staging the games outside Zimbabwe creates logistical nightmares for both Ngezi Platinum Stars and Dynamos, and they desperately need to reach the third round of matches — the group phase where participants are guaranteed of a share of television rights revenue.
In 1998, Dynamos went all the way to the Champions League final and remain the only Zimbabwean club to have gone that far and also maximised on the potential revenues from the CAF inter-club tournament.
Despite enjoying home advantage at the National Sports Stadium, the money generated fell short after factoring in all expenses from the opening round.
And what lies ahead in this year is scary, financially!
When Dynamos and Ngezi Platinum confirmed participation in the 2024/2025 CAF tournaments late last year, there had been assurances that either the National Sports Stadium or Rufaro Stadium or both would have met the minimum requirements to stage the matches.
And, unfortunately, it is too late for them to withdraw as such action would result in heavy sanctions from CAF.
By using Zambia and South Africa for their home matches, Ngezi Platinum Stars and Dynamos will have to foot a huge bill of their own and ZIFA’s event management teams.
ZIFA are overall in charge for
these matches, but on the respective clubs’ bills.
These event management teams have to be in either South Africa or Zambia almost a week before the match day to ensure compliance in many areas, including ticketing, disaster management, accommodation and transport for match officials.
That means a bill for airfares (bus fares), accommodation, meals and transport (car hire) in the build-up to the matches.
Had these matches been in Zimbabwe, the cost would have been minimised, with most of the staffers coming from home.
Unlike in Zimbabwe where physical tickets are still in use, the neighbouring countries meeting the CAF requirements have moved over to e-ticketing and both Ngezi Platinum Stars and Dynamos have to ensure that those are in place and in compliance with the set standards.
That in itself is a costly exercise as the e-tickets have to be outsourced and
shortcuts will result in heavy sanctions from CAF, who seem to have US$2 000 as a minimum fine for a non-compliant host association.
On match day, both Ngezi Platinum and Dynamos will face the heartbreak of not attracting the average crowds they are used to at Baobab and Rufaro stadiums
for high-profile matches on the domestic scene.
Gate revenue is what clubs, especially those without substantial sponsorship, use to manage expenses for away legs of the first two preliminary rounds.
The only consolation for both Ngezi Platinum Stars and Dynamos, at least for now, is that CAF have restricted teams to regional draws for the opening two rounds, which removes the risk of expensive cross-continental trips.
Online Reporter