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Eddie Chikamhi-Senior Sports Reporter
THE shortage of venues has forced seven clubs based in Harare to share just one stadium for the long-awaited Premier Soccer League season which gets underway tomorrow.
The National Sports Stadium is the only ground that has been approved in the capital, following the latest round of inspections, conducted by the ZIFA First Instance Body.
Football fans are also still expected to part with a significant amount to watch the matches this season after the Premier Soccer League announced the cheapest ticket will be pegged at US$10 or the local currency equivalent, at the prevailing interbank rate.
The tickets to the grand stand will cost US$15 while the VVIP area will cost US$20.
This is a significant climb down from the US$20 charged for the rest of the ground, and the US$50 for VVIP tickets, during the Chibuku Super Cup quarter-finals.
Fans snubbed the matches, which were poorly attended.
The new ticket prices are still too steep for the ordinary fans.
PSL spokesperson, Kudzai Bare, said the selling points will be advised in due course.
Government recently announced that a limited number of fully vaccinated fans would be able to attend local football matches, for the first time since February last year, following the relaxation of the Covid-19 restrictions.
However, the PSL faced a huge challenge ahead of the 2020-2021 kick-off, because of the shortage of suitable stadiums, to host top-flight games.
The Harare-based teams are the most affected.
They include giants Dynamos, CAPS United, Harare City, Herentals, Yadah, Black Rhinos and newboys Cranborne Bullets and will have to share the National Sports Stadium, for home matches.
The council-owned stadiums, Rufaro, Gwanzura, and Dzivaresekwa, are not in good shape, for top-flight league matches.
ZIFA spokesperson, Xolisani Gwesela, yesterday said most of the country’s stadiums failed the test and only nine grounds were provisionally approved, to host the PSL games, this season.
The approved stadiums are Barbourfields, Luveve, Gibbo, Baobab, Nyamhunga, Ascot, Sakubva, Mandava and the National Sports Stadium.
The FIB, who are the local club licensing agents under the CAF Club Licensing system, however, gave licences to all the 18 clubs to pave way for the big kick-off.
FC Platinum had been the only club in Zimbabwe which had the Club Licensing certificate.
“The Zimbabwe Football Association would like to inform the football fraternity that the First Instance Body of Club Licensing met yesterday (Tuesday) and resolved to license all the 18 Premier Soccer League clubs who applied for licenses to participate in the 2021-22 league season,’’ said Gwesela
“The elite men clubs were licensed in line with five criteria areas of Club Licensing which are sporting, personnel and administrative, financial, infrastructure and legal.
“The meeting also noted that most stadiums in the country were in a derelict state and appealed to Local authorities and the Government to renovate the stadiums in line with FIFA and CAF requirements.
“Consequently, the following stadiums were provisionally homologated to host PSL matches: — (a) Barbourfields (b) Luveve (c) Gibbo (d) Baobab (e) Nyamhunga (f) Ascot (g) Sakubva (h) Mandava (i) National Sports Stadium.”
Harare City are set to get the ball rolling tomorrow when they entertain Herentals at the giant stadium, which is scheduled to host three matches, this weekend.
Black Rhinos will host Highlanders, at the same venue, on Saturday.
Then, on Sunday, Dynamos will host Yadah.
Three-time winners FC Platinum will begin their quest for a fourth straight title at Mandava, against newboys, Tenax.
CAPS United, who had a tough time during the Chibuku Super Cup games, will travel to Nyamhunga for a tricky date with ZPC Kariba, on Saturday.
Joey Antipas’ Chicken Inn will welcome Nesbert Saruchera’s newboys, Cranborne Bullets, at Luveve on Saturday.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter