Dynamos have been forced to abandon their initial plans to host their CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round match against Zambian side ZESCO United in South Africa due to the unavailability of suitable stadiums in the neighbouring country.
As a result, DeMbare will now host their preliminary round opponents at the National Stadium in Gaborone, Botswana on the weekend of August 16-18.
Speaking to The Herald on Wednesday, Dynamos chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze revealed that the club had initially wanted to stage the match in South Africa, either at the Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg or the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.
However, Mashingaidze explained that South African football authorities are still in the process of finalizing their 2024/25 season fixtures, and there were concerns that the Dynamos versus ZESCO match could potentially clash with scheduled Betway Premiership matches.
With the South African option no longer viable, officials from Dynamos and the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) were expected to travel to Botswana on Thursday to finalize the logistical arrangements with the relevant authorities in the neighbouring country. Said Mashingaidze:
We tried and failed to secure Orlando Stadium in South Africa because the upcoming new season’s fixtures in South Africa are yet to be finalised.
So, they couldn’t grant us any stadium because the start of their new season is scheduled for around the same time as our CAF Confederation Cup match.
So, in terms of fixturing, there were no guarantees that the dates wouldn’t clash.
That’s why we ended up running around to secure a venue in Botswana.
We are happy that we managed to do just that and we are calling upon Zimbabweans in Botswana to rally behind the team.
There are so many things to be done so we are visiting Botswana tomorrow (today).
There is paperwork to be completed between us and the Botswana National Sport Commission.
The visit is going to take us two days. There are a lot of things to be ironed out. We need to look into ticketing, hotels, sponsors, advertising agencies, transport, and a lot more.
So we are going there to put things in place for two days. We will also be meeting the Botswana Football Association and the like.
That’s the purpose of the visit. We are going to tie the ends of the agreement and start preparing for the game.
There are thousands of Zimbabweans residing in Botswana, and Dynamos are hoping this sizable Zimbabwean diaspora will turn out in force to support the team.
The Glamour Boys are making a long-awaited return to continental football, with this fixture representing their first appearance on the African club competition stage in over a decade.
Dynamos secured their spot by winning the 2023 edition of Zimbabwe’s premier cup competition, the Chibuku Super Cup.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s representatives in the CAF Champions League, Ngezi Platinum Stars, will be using Heroes Stadium in Zambia for their upcoming CAF Champions League home matches.
This is due to the lack of a CAF-certified stadium in Zimbabwe capable of hosting international competitions.
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