Clive Thabo Dube<\/p>\n\n\n\n
THE Country’s football governing body Premier Soccer League (PSL) currently faces the issue of dilapidated stadiums after years of negligence and failure to finance new sporting facilities across the country, dragging Zimbabwean football downstream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The decay of sporting facilities can be linked to managerial bankruptcy by the owners, overuse of stadiums and failure to move with the times. World and Africa Football governing bodies have always given stadia standards to its affiliates so as to upgrade, but in Zimbabwe, such advice has been falling into deaf ears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most Stadia in Zimbabwe is owned by Local Authorities (City Councils) who have proved to be lost as to how to keep intandem with international football standards on stadiums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The National Sports Stadium (NSS), in the Capital Harare, is government owned, and the same decay has seen the giant stadium falling apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the beginning of this football season, several stadiums in the country were deemed unfit to hold football matches. Later the football governing body ZIFA, shut down several of these including Rufaro Stadium and the NSS because these did not meet approved standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Harare football giants Dynamos use Rufaro Stadium as their home ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now heading into the second half of the season, this weekend, there’s still no solution to the issue at hand which has received widespread condemnation from the footballing community .<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Harare based teams, Dynamos and CAPS United have become Bulawayo and Gweru tenants after the closure of the National Sports Stadium by the Sports Recreation Commission (SRC) for renovations, and Rufaro stadium refurbishments continue to run behind schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dynamos FC, chose Bulawayo’s Barbourfields stadium as their temporary home ground while CAPS United FC, chose to lodge in Gweru.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Black Rhinos, Herentals, Cranborne Bullets and Yadah face the same predicament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Premiership debutants Simba Bhora have given up all hope of playing at their Wadzanai Stadium this season. Manica Diamonds are keeping fingers crossed for a miracle to happen for them to able to play at the condemned Sakubva Stadium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile Green Fuel are confident their Green Fuel Arena will be up and running shortly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One can only imagine the traveling costs affecting the financially stricken domestic teams and the obvious deprivation of the \u2018home advantage\u2019 of playing in front of a home crowd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGiven a choice, we would have loved to play at our traditional home ground (Rufaro),\u201d said Dynamos secretary general Webster Marechera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dynamos currently uses Barbourfields Stadium as its refuge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUnfortunately, circumstances cannot permit. The grounds in Harare have been condemned and we cannot do anything about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut we are happy the supporters in Bulawayo have embraced the team. They have been coming out in numbers and it\u2019s very encouraging,\u201d said Marechera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Failure to play in their home turf, Premiership new boys Simba Bhora have had a poor start in the top flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Simba Bhora have won only three games halfway through the campaign and are currently 14th on the log standings, with 17 points from as many games. They used to rent at the National Sports Stadium before relocating to another alternative venue, Baobab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The club\u2019s chairman Isaiah Mupfurutsa said works are still being conducted at Wadzanai but virtually ruled out chances of playing their home games in Shamva this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are looking at doing a fantastic job,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want to do quality; we want to do something that will be having facilities that are up there. So we are taking our time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI doubt if we are going to press ourselves too much to have our games there this season, I doubt that. But if things work out well, yeah, maybe, but that is a big doubt for us because we believe in doing quality things,\u201d said Mupfurutsa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Manica Diamonds, the only Mutare based outfit in the topflight league have been traveling 300km to Gibbo in Chiredzi for their home games after Sakubva failed the inspection test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The stadium is currently under renovations by the Mutare City Council, the custodians of the facility who recently posted an update of the works being done on the turf and drainage system. Judging by the images, the stadium may not be ready any time soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gem Boys secretary general Sugar Chagonda could not hide downside of the strenuous exercise, despite Manica Diamonds punching above their weight and finishing the first half of the season in the top three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt has been very taxing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think that is also one of our major worries. We would have wanted to play in Sakubva because we believe that\u2019s where our thousands of fans are. Playing away every match is not easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI would like to salute our boys because despite the fact that they have been traveling across the country to fulfill their matches, they have remained resolute, focused and winning the matches, which is quite critical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs much as we would have loved to play at Sakubva, we are told by our critical stakeholders the Mutare City fathers, they are still working on the facility and hopefully it will be open in due course so that we make use of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut like I said, it hasn\u2019t been a good thing for us (to travel for home matches). Even from a resources\u2019 point of view, we have been using a lot of resources to make sure that we fulfill our home games at Gibbo.
\u201cWe are still hopeful that in due course our fans in Mutare will be able to see the boys in action at Sakubva . . . we created this club for the people and if they cannot watch the team play then it might not be generating value for us.
Anyway, we remain hopeful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt would be difficult for me to give any timelines because we are not in charge of that project. It\u2019s something that is being run by our stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo we stand guided by them . . . Should it not be ready in the shortest possible time, we continue to look for alternatives so that we continue playing,\u201d said Chagonda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, there is hope for Green Fuel, feel that it is high time their team come close to them,\u201d said Dube.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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