Sheasham are victims of a failed system

SO jubilant was the mood when Sheasham FC opened the gates to play host to Highlanders at the newly built Bata Stadium.

The day Bosso landed in Gweru, history was made, as Bata Stadium was reopened after 30 years.

The Stadium brought joy to football enthusiasts in the City of Progress.

The build up to the game received the much-needed hype.

A road show was done before the game and pictures of happy people were seen on social media.

But that joy was quickly cut short.

As soon as Highlanders settled back in Bulawayo, the Premier Soccer League (PSL), issued a statement, banning the use of Bata Stadium, sending Sheasham back to Mandava Stadium.

Surprisingly the Zifa First Instant Board (FIB) who approve the use of stadiums had greenlighted the use of Bata Stadium only for PSL to reverse the decision.

It is no secret that work still needs to be done at Bata Stadium but how was the stadium approved in the first place?

The FIB is the grouping of experts mandated to inspect the status of stadia and their readiness to host top flight football.

That board first agreed that Bata Stadium was up to standard.

Just before the week ended, those same standards were denounced.

Following the sudden U-turn, the FIB has put itself under the spotlight.

Why did they homologate the stadium in the first place?

Is it a case of incompetence from the so-called experts?

If indeed the FIB were guaranteed by Sheasham that the Stadium will be complete in less than a month, then surely there was no reason to rush the opening.

The timing to open the Bata Stadium gates was wrong.

Wrong in the sense that Sheasham was to host Highlanders, the most followed club in the country.

Had it been any other team outside, maybe the country’s big three Bata Stadium’s test run could have sailed through without any noise.

The Highlanders effect turned out to be too huge for Bata Stadium.
As it stands, the country has no stadium that meets the minimum standard requirements to host international matches.

Even if FIFA, today, lifts the suspension on Zimbabwe, the national team and clubs would have to go outside the country to fulfil international assignments.

That is how bad the state of the country’s stadiums is.

It is frustrating for Sheasham who poured thousands of dollars to be sold such a dummy.

Now they are forced to negotiate with FC Platinum and engage in extra travelling costs to host their home matches.

Some of the work still to be done at Bata includes clearing of debris, continuous maintenance of the turf (playing surface), Equipping of doping control room, Completion of terraces, use of quarry stones in the parking areas. Use of non-slippery material on the tunnel pathway and complete sign posting of the facility.
— @innocentskizoe.