The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) Normalisation Committee has faced criticism for ignoring a call by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for member federations to submit names of stadiums to be assessed for hosting interclub competitions.
ZBC reported that CAF had issued a statement through their Tournament and Events Director, Samson Adamu, requesting federations to provide the names of their facilities for evaluation.
While some associations, such as the Football Association of Malawi and the Kenyan FA, promptly responded to this opportunity, the ZIFA Normalisation Committee failed to take any action before the deadline lapsed.
This oversight means that Zimbabwe’s representatives in continental competitions, Ngezi Platinum Stars and Dynamos, will have to play their home matches in Zambia and Botswana respectively, as there are no CAF-approved stadiums in the country.
Some local football administrators believe that the Heart Stadium and Barbourfields Stadium might have met the requirements to host CAF matches, had they been assessed.
This missed opportunity has been viewed as a setback for Zimbabwean clubs, who now face the inconvenience and additional expenses of playing their home games abroad.
Premier Soccer League (PSL) chairperson Farai Jere has criticised the Normalisation Committee for not prioritising the needs of local teams and failing to seize the chance to have Zimbabwean stadiums evaluated by CAF. Said Jere:
Dynamos and Ngezi Platinum need that home advantage when representing the country. Heart Stadium or even Barbourfields could stand very good chances to be given the nod to host the games.
Heart Stadium for example was built with CAF guidelines and it stood a better chance of approval.
We are disappointed that our leaders do not take advantage of situations like these to help out clubs.
Ngezi Platinum Stars are set to host AS Maniema of the Democratic Republic of Congo at the National Heroes Stadium in Zambia, while Dynamos will host ZESCO United of Zambia at the National Stadium in Gaborone, Botswana.
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