Chronicle Editor
Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
THE Zifa Southern Region Division One season could be faced with congested fixtures once the coronavirus pandemic eases as the second tier league has no playable grounds during the rainy season.
The Division One league was set to start at the end of March, but has since been put on pause just like all sporting activities around the globe.
The season would have been heading into its fourth week this weekend had it kicked off as initially scheduled and Arenel coach Kudzayi Mhandire feels it is impossible to have a normal season after Covid-19.
“With the state of the stadia that we use for Division One, we cannot afford to play football during the rainy season.
“Our grounds are water ponds during the rainy season.
“In this situation, there are things teams should compromise on and we need a packed fixture,” said Mhandire.
“We will need to play midweek fixtures, with at least two games a week. As the season goes on and fatigue creeps in then we can revert to at least a mid-week game in a fortnight.
“If you look at it, we need about eight to 10 weeks of midweek action to compensate for lost time.”
Although he admitted that he missed football, Mhandire said it was important for the football fraternity to comply with lockdown regulations.
“We all miss football, but there is nothing we can do about this situation.
“Players as professionals should follow their training programmes,” he said. – @innocentskizoe
Online Reporter