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Tadious Manyepo Sports Reporter
THE ZIFA First Instance Board have painted a gloomy picture on the possibility of Zimbabwe hosting Algeria in the scheduled 2021 AFCON qualifiers in November.
The country’s major stadia are banned from hosting such international matches by CAF.
Had the back-to-back AFCON qualifiers against Algeria gone ahead in March, before Covid-19 forced an indefinite suspension of the programme, the Warriors would have hosted the African champions in South Africa.
Work has been carried out at the National Sports Stadium.
Ablution facilities, the drainage system, a media tribunal, a medical centre, a disability enclosure, as well as the playing field, have all been attended to.
However, there are lingering doubts the stadium will pass the CAF inspection test.
The FIB conducted an initial inspection at the giant facility, and sent their findings to CAF, who are yet to respond.
But, yesterday, FIB chairman, Piraishe Mabhena, said it could be tricky for the facility to be cleared for matches set for November.
“We discussed that issue, as the First Instance Board, just last week,’’ he said.
“This is a serious issue and we have tasked the secretary general, Xolisani Gwesela, to write to the parent ministry to get an update on the progress of the renovations at the National Sports Stadium.
“We wrote to CAF, after our initial inspection, and CAF have acknowledged receipt of our letter. However, they haven’t yet come back to us.
“There haven’t been any inspections, during the last couple of months due to Covid-19, and we hope CAF inspectors can come to inspect our stadiums before the Algeria match.
“But, from our initial inspection, we noted some critical issues, which CAF put so much emphasis on, and those areas have to be addressed as a matter of urgency.
“Most of the things requested by CAF, including the media tribunal, medical rooms, disability centre and the turf, have all been addressed.
“But, there are crucial things like properly numbered bucket seats and turnstiles, which haven’t been addressed as yet. The last time we talked to the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, they said they were on it.
“Maybe, in two or three days’ time, we will be in the picture pertaining to how they are planning to address these issues.”
Mabhena said CAF had also banned other countries from hosting international matches before.
“Other countries in Africa have been banned from hosting international matches previously for things like that,’’ he said.
“Remember, when we are hosting international matches, we will be hosting world-class players.
“Besides, all other countries on the continent are addressing the issue of stadiums. It’s now the standard.
“We are a bit under pressure but we have to do our best to try and upgrade our stadiums.
“So, we are waiting for the response from CAF and we will be looking forward to hearing from the authorities about progress being made, in terms of addressing the above issues.”
Online Reporter