Chronicle Editor
Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
Zimbabwe had 8 215 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 236 deaths as of yesterday morning.
A United States of America-based travel and tourism agency, Tourlane named Zimbabwe the safest place to visit in the world when countries reopen their borders for international travel post Covid-19 restrictions.
It is the way that Zimbabwe has conducted its business, being vigilant at a time when the world is facing a second wave of Covid-19 attack that shows the country’s seriousness in combating the virus and make it a safe destination.
Zimbabwe has been singing the “Zimbabwe is Open for Business” mantra but while the country has been doing all within its power to attract both foreign and local investors, the lives of its people and that of its visitors always come first.
The pandemic has disrupted economic activities and the sports industry has not been spared with sports like soccer hard hit.
Football in Zimbabwe only received the green light to start training last Friday when other leagues, particularly the famed English Premiership, most European leagues, South African Premiership as well as Tanzania’s league resumed action months back.
In Zimbabwe, competitive soccer was last played in March by Highlanders and FC Platinum. When the league resumes it will be played in a mini-league format that will require clubs to go into a bubble, a concept where players, support staff and match officials will stay isolated from the outside world.
This process requires that anyone entering the bubble is subject to PCR testing and those whose results are positive will be put on isolation.
But before going to the bubble, teams would have conducted their training sessions, meaning that before starting training, each member goes for tests.
The big question that continues to be asked by those in football corridors is that — who will fund the testing process?
Well, the question emanates from the fact that Fifa and Caf released Covid-19 funds that were meant to bring a “soft landing” or an element of comfort to clubs that have been struggling throughout the lockdown.
When US$1,8 million relief fund landed, Zifa said they’ve reserved part of it for testing.
Premiership clubs, the country’s football flagship, only got US$5 000 each, an amount that was far less that the money that they have been paying players and staff during the lock down.
Remember, football hasn’t been played this year, save for the Castle Challenge Cup involving league champions FC Platinum and Highlanders in March.
Bulawayo City found themselves at the mercy of the league, with the topflight threatening to sanction the club for conducting tests last Friday.
However, it must be noted that the club’s actions to test about 15 players and members of the technical team as well as secretariat came at the behest of their bosses, the local authority, who own the organisation.
Three players tested positive to Covid-19, and there is a fear that more are going to test positive once the league and Zifa start the process.
Instead of bashing Bulawayo City FC like what the Premier Soccer League did this week, council who sponsor the club must be commended for taking the initiative. One wise man once said, some people can always find a fault in a solution. The PSL just did that.
City were preparing their players for a fitness expo and the trending Jerusalem Challenge test for Covid-19 before their inhouse exercise. Now they are being criticised for joining the international community by our own PSL.
What we should remember is that Bulawayo City FC can’t be divorced from their sponsor, Bulawayo City Council.
Dynamos did a Jerusalem Challenge for their sponsor RG Cigarettes and that is as it should be.
For safeguarding the health of people and taking a leading role in making sure residents including players for the team it sponsors know their Covid-19 status, BCC should be saluted. — -@ZililoR
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