ZIFA Refutes Claims Of Walter Magaya's Stadium Being Fit For CAF Competitions
The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) has refuted reports claiming that Walter Magaya’s The Heart Stadium in Waterfalls, Harare, is fit to host preliminary fixtures for Ngezi Platinum Stars and Dynamos FC in their respective CAF competitions.
Last week, some football stakeholders criticized the ZIFA Normalisation Committee for allegedly ignoring a call by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for member federations to submit names of stadiums to be assessed for hosting inter-club competitions.
CAF had issued a statement through their Tournament and Events Director, Samson Adamu, requesting federations to provide the names of their facilities for evaluation.
While some associations, such as the Football Association of Malawi and the Kenyan FA, promptly responded to this opportunity, the ZIFA reportedly failed to take any action before the deadline lapsed.
Premier Soccer League (PSL) chairperson Farai Jere was quoted as saying Heart Stadium was built with CAF guidelines and it stood a better chance of approval.
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However, in a statement issued on Monday, August 5, ZIFA asserted that it had done everything in its power to ensure that Ngezi Platinum Stars and Dynamos FC were able to host their home matches for the CAF inter-club competitions within Zimbabwe.
Despite these efforts, ZIFA said that The Heart Stadium is not fit to host CAF matches due to substandard toilet facilities and the lack of a media tribune, among other deficiencies. ZIFA said:
The Zimbabwe Football Association wishes to address the recent misleading reports regarding the status of Heart Stadium and its capability to host Ngezi Platinum Stars’ and Dynamos FC’s preliminary fixtures in their respective CAF competitions.
The Association would like to clarify that all necessary procedures were meticulously followed by the Club Licencing Department, in accordance with CAF directives, to try and assist the clubs in playing their home games in Zimbabwe.
However, during preliminary inspections, Heart Stadium was unable to produce a Stadium Safety and Security Certificate as required by the process. Consequently, the facility could not be sanctioned.
Additionally, the stadium lacks a media tribune, a designated area for vulnerable people, and its ablution facilities do not meet the required standards.
We trust this statement clarifies the situation and rectifies any misinformation that has been circulating.
Ngezi Platinum Stars are set to host AS Maniema of the Democratic Republic of Congo at the National Heroes Stadium in Zambia, while Dynamos will host ZESCO United of Zambia at the National Stadium in Gaborone, Botswana.
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