Innocent Benza, the Member of Parliament for Mutasa Central, has raised concerns about the government’s timeline for installing bucket seats at the National Sports Stadium. The lack of bucket seats is preventing the stadium from being approved by the continental body CAF for international games. As a result, Zimbabwe is set to host its first international home game in Rwanda.
The Warriors will kick off their FIFA World Cup qualifier group campaign with a match against Rwanda in Rwanda on November 13 before they host Nigeria in the same country a week later.
Benza expressed the desire of football fans for Zimbabwe to host matches at the National Sports Stadium and questioned why it would take until December for the installation of bucket seats to be completed. The stadium’s condition has also worsened due to its continuous use by Premier Soccer League teams, including Benza’s own club, Herentals Football Club. Benza said:
Soccer is in a serious state of need. December is too far to have a whole government install bucket seats in the Nationals Sports Stadium.
This is a public outcry that our national team must play its games in Zimbabwe. We request that officials from the Sports Ministry put all your efforts so we correct the situation at the national sports stadium and have our team play there.
The Harare City Council’s attempts to restore Rufaro Stadium have not been successful. The local government authority has continuously changed deadlines, and some people believe that the renovations done so far are only surface-level improvements.
Innocent Dambudzo Benza is a businessman, educator, and football player. He is a member and owner of the Herentals Football Club and also serves as the Chief Executive Officer for the Herentals Group of Colleges.