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WE now know that the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier between the Warriors and Bafana Bafana at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on June 11 will get underway at 6pm.
FIFA had initially communicated that the game was set for a 9pm kick-off.
However, the South African Football Association, through their CEO Lydia Monyepao, requested a switch to a 7:30pm start.
“We wanted the game to kick off at 7:30pm because this is the traditional start of late matches in South Africa, and given that it is a midweek match, it accommodates those who are coming from work and have other engagements,” she said.
“But, ultimately, we were given a 6pm kick off and the decision is final.
“We call upon all fans to fill up the stadium and support the boys, make sure that they feel the love when they play their first match at home since the bronze medal achievement at the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.”
We now also know that the gates will open at 3pm and the tickets will be priced at R50 for adults and kids and scholars will pay R20.
We even know that the tickets for the match are available at TicketPro outlets, Spar, SuperSpar, Putco, Postnet etc.
What we don’t know is who will be in charge of our Warriors in that match or the earlier battle against the Crocodiles of Lesotho.
It’s just mind-blowing to try and believe this is really happening in our football and, of course, to our Warriors, who are our flagship national sporting team.
It’s incredible to try and believe that this is being done by an interim football leadership, which was brought into power to correct all the wrongs that were consistent with the leaders they replaced.
It’s shocking that our opponents even have dealt with such issues like the ticket prices and kick-off time for the match while we don’t even know the man who will be in charge of our team.
Just about everyone, from the fans to the journalists, has been pleading with ZIFA to resolve the issue of the coach but those who are leading the game have just kept quiet.
It’s as if they are treating the two games against Lesotho and South Africa as friendlies rather than World Cup qualifiers.
We are also fans of the Warriors, by virtue of us being Zimbabweans, and once again we call on the ZIFA bosses to act like true bosses and not like rogue individuals.
Why should we know the ticket prices for our match against Bafana Bafana when we don’t know the identity of our coach?
Is it really something as tough as climbing to the summit of Everest just to appoint a national coach?
Surely, it is not and we wonder what is really holding back the ZIFA leaders from doing exactly what they were appointed for.
Online Reporter
