The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
ZIFA’S Club Licensing Committee has urged local authorities to spruce up stadiums before the start of the season as no stadium received the green light during inspections done this month.
The First Instance Body, chaired by Zifa executive committee member, Piraishe Mabhena, replaced the Zifa Grounds Committee that had been doing inspections in previous years.
Zifa communications manager and FIB ex-officio member, Xolisani Gwesela said they toured 10 stadiums that are set to be used for Castle Lager Premiership matches and they found several areas that need attention before the commencement of the season, which is scheduled for this weekend.
He said under Club Licensing Regulations under the infrastructure criteria stadiums have to meet a set standard and they were using those measurers in their assessment of the grounds. The facilities the committee inspected included Bulawayo stadiums, White City, Luveve and Barbourfields, Dulivhadzimu in Beitbridge, Maglas in Zvishavane, Colliery in Hwange, Ascot in Gweru, Gibbo in Triangle, Nyamhunga in Kariba and Gwanzura in Harare were inspected.
Scrutiny of Baobab in Mhondoro and National Sports Stadium were done in January ahead of the Caps United and Ngezi Platinum’s sojourns into the African Safari. Gwesela said they had noted some anomalies which they felt have to be attended to and owners of the facilities had already been informed about what has to be rectified.
According to the Club Licensing areas that should be looked at include stadium capacity, control room, stands (spectator areas), first aid room, media area and dressing rooms.
“All stadiums have one deficiency or the other and we have written to the local authorities on the issues but we are hopeful all the issues will be rectified before the season kicks off. Major areas of concern were the state of the pitches particularly uneven pitches. It seems most of the councils stopped maintaining their grounds when the season ended and only started when they heard we would be making our rounds. We think it is critical that maintenance should be an all year-round job like what owners of Gibbo Stadium have been doing,” said Gwesela.
He said in Bulawayo their main concerns were that goalposts are not made of the stipulated material, which is aluminum which new standards say they should be made of and uneven pitches.
Premiership returnees, Shabanie Mine’s home ground, Maglas’ pitch was found to be uneven while the general stadium surroundings are said to be in need of serious sprucing up and cleaning. Dulivhadzimu’s dressing rooms, VIP tribune and pitch were condemned with an area of the stadium also in need of cover to prevent people outside the ground being able to view proceedings inside.
Gwesela said extensive work needs to be done at Gwanzura Stadium before the facility can host topflight matches with dressing rooms and the pitch in serious need of renovations while at Gibbo and Nyamhunga there are only minor issues to attend to. Other members of the FIB include vice-chairman Willard Manyengavana, Samkeliso Silengane, Nobioth Magwizi, Dennis Tshuma and Gilbert Saika.
