The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) has deemed Sakubva Stadium in Mutare unfit to host Premier Soccer League (PSL) matches due to the poor state of the turf.
The Manica Post reports that a ZIFA grounds inspection team, under the First Instance Body banner, comprising ZIFA chief operations officer, Xolisani Gwesela, ZIFA technical director, Wilson Mukede and Premier Soccer League man in charge of competitions, Elisha Mandireva were in Mutare to inspect Sakubva Stadium ahead of the start of the 2023 PSL season.
In 2022, Sakubva Stadium was condemned towards the season halfway mark after it had deteriorated to unacceptable standards due to overuse.
City of Mutare spokesperson, Spren Mutiwi, said he was unaware that ZIFA had condemned the stadium again. He said:
We are not aware that the grounds inspection committee from ZIFA was here. We are not even aware of their decision to condemn the match venue.
We have a plan to replace the turf and I am sure the process is at an advanced stage even though I might need to get finer details on the work covered so far in that regard.
Manica Diamonds chairman, Masimba Chihowa, expressed concern over the latest development, saying the club cannot afford to host home matches in Harare or Triangle. Said Chihowa:
We are worried, shuttered and devastated that the stadium cannot be used after the condemnation by the grounds inspection committee.
What is of great concern for us is that the stadium was condemned because of overuse when Manica Diamonds, the only Premiership club in Mutare, has never had a training session at Sakubva Stadium in recent months.
As a team, we are worried about which match venue shall we register as our home ground ahead of the start of the season.
We had not factored in any budget relating to travelling outside the city for our home matches.
If you look at the options available, it be very costly for the team. Travelling more than 300km to Triangle or Harare is not within our budget.
We just hope and pray that something will be done to restore the good quality of the turf before the start of the season.
The 2023 Castle Lager Premiership season commences next month.