Tinaye Agere
Langton Nyakwenda
EXACTLY six years to the day, Knowledge Musona grabbed a memorable hat-trick as Zimbabwe thrashed Liberia 3-0 at a packed National Sports Stadium to kick-start their 2019 African Cup of Nations qualifiers in style.
It remains one of the best performances by the Warriors at the 60 000-seater stadium that was built by the Chinese in 1987.
The facility has been a theatre of dreams.
On June 2, 2010, it famously hosted the historic international friendly between Zimbabwe and Brazil.
Led by Kaka — the 2007 World Footballer of the Year — the Samba Boys beat the Warriors 3-0 in front of a full house.
A huge crowd also gathered to witness Dynamos etch their name in history on November 28, 1998, when they hosted their CAF Champions League final first leg tie against Ivorian side ASEC Mimosas.
Sadly, the stadium is no longer fit to host a local top-flight game after years of neglect.
The 2023 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League programme was halted on Wednesday to allow for repairs on the water reticulation system, which was affecting the ablution facilities at a time the country is battling to avoid the spread of cholera.
Apart from the poor drainage in toilets and sinks, the stadium no longer had a proper running water system.
Players were now reportedly using buckets, instead of showers, to freshen up before and after matches.
It was clear facilities at the stadium, which is currently home to eight PSL clubs, were overstretched, especially after hosting 44 matches in 77 days.
The Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) wrote to the PSL on Monday, advising the top-flight body that spectators would not be allowed into the stadium, which “is currently undergoing major maintenance works on water reticulation”.
“On a separate but related matter, SRC shall, with immediate effect, be limiting the number of matches on the main arena to two (2) per week to allow the playing field to regenerate,” wrote SRC’s director (finance, human resources and administration) Brian Hodza.
The letter came after PSL had already announced the Week 13 fixtures, which would have started off with the clash between Herentals and Simba Bhora at the same venue on Thursday.
As had become common practice, the encounter would have been one of four lined up for the stadium, with the highlight being the showdown between CAPS United and Highlanders, which should have been played today. Premiership clubs who use the stadium pay US$1 150 per match as hiring fees, which translates to US$50 600 in total ground rental revenue from the 44 matches that have been played so far.
The SRC also pocket 6 percent of gate takings from all PSL matches.
The PSL insists it acted to protect all the clubs and preserve the integrity of the game.
PSL chairperson Farai Jere told The Sunday Mail Sport yesterday that the league’s emergency committee wanted all teams to keep pace with the fixtures and avoid a scenario where some clubs fell four or five games behind.
“I would like to thank the SRC because they did not want to interfere with the matches but had suggested a limit in the number of games to two per week, and had asked that spectators be suspended from the games for a while,” said Jere.
“But the PSL emergency committee had to make a decision that also took into account that fans are a key stakeholder and had just started to return to our games, so forcing our teams to play in empty stadiums would not have worked in the league’s favour. So, all we are appealing for is some patience. In three weeks, action will resume . . . once the maintenance problems have been fixed.”
It would not have been feasible for clubs that are battling to stay afloat in a tough operating environment to hire the stadium for US$1 150 and then play in an empty venue.
Those who blame the SRC argue that despite getting at least US$4 000 per week as hiring fees from clubs, the stadium authorities ought to have invested in sprinklers for the turf, instead of using hosepipes.
Perennial problem
In 2021, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) banned the National Sports Stadium from being used for international matches.
Acting ZIFA chief executive officer Xolisani Gwesela — who, together with former Warriors team manager Sharif Mussa, was part of the First Instance Body (FIB) that toured the stadium on Monday and condemned the facility — called for a united approach to fixing the perennial problems at the stadium.
“Problems at the National Sports Stadium go beyond the issue of water reticulation system,” Gwesela said.
“We have had various inspection missions to Zimbabwe, with the last one culminating in the closure of the stadium for CAF matches. The issue of the pitch that has been raised now was raised again by previous inspection missions and the recommendations in the past were to completely overhaul the pitch.
“Remove the grass turf and have a new type of grass installed in the stadium.
“Even now, if we are to wait for three weeks for the stadium to recover, still that lawn has expired. It cannot sustain any football activity,” added Gwesela.
He appealed to Government and corporates to help by investing more in stadium upgrades. The requirements by CAF include erection of individually numbered bucket seats and installation of modern electronic turnstiles and automated systems.
The last international match at the venue was on November 14, 2021, when Zdravko Logarusic’s Warriors were held 1-1 by Ethiopia in a World Cup qualifier.
Since February last year, Zimbabwe have been frozen from the global football family following a FIFA suspension.
However, if the suspension is to be lifted any time soon, the country would still not be able to host any Champions League, World Cup, CHAN or AFCON matches.
Online Reporter