Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) has announced that a World Cup preliminary qualifier match against Somalia has been postponed and also moved from the original pitch, Barbourfields Stadium in Bulawayo. In a statement, ZIFA said:
The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) wishes to advise all football stakeholders that following a request from the Somali Football Federation (SFF) and consultations with the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) our 2022 World Cup preliminary qualifier against Somalia has been rescheduled.
The match will now be played on Tuesday 10 September 2019 after SFF failed to secure flights to Zimbabwe in time for the initial fixture date which was Sunday September 8.
The venue of the match has also been moved from Barbourfields Stadium in Bulawayo to the National Sports Stadium in Harare because we already have another international match scheduled for Barbourfields on the 10th of September, the Under 23 Zimbabwe/South Africa Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
Kick off remains 3 pm and gate charges are also unchanged.
We understand the inconvenience this development presents to all stakeholders and we unreservedly apologise for the unexpected developments.
In the spirit of fair play , African solidarity, brotherhood and togetherness, we felt the Somali Football Federation’s request was reasonable and sincere, thus we had to consent, otherwise the match would not have taken place at all.
The world governing body, FIFA have also commended ZIFA for this wonderful gesture.
All those who had already purchased tickets will still use the same tickets and for those who cannot make the trip to Harare, we have authorised our ticketing partner, ClicknPay, to accept requests for refunds.
We appeal to all stakeholders to continue supporting the team and to come to the National Sports Stadium for this massive international match.
ZIFA also encourages fans to buy tickets for this match online at www.clicknpay.africa.
Gate Charges
Rest of ground : $10
Bay 15-18 : $20
VIP : $50FOR AND ON BEHALF OF THE ZIMBABWE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION (ZIFA)
XOLISANI GWESELA, COMMUNICATIONS AND COMPETITIONS MANAGER