The Sunday News
ZIFA’S drive to improve the country’s football will get a boost when they exchange notes with other African federations during a study day on the development of football infrastructure that will be held in Morocco next week.
The study is being organised by Fifa in conjunction with the Confederation of African Football and is scheduled for 1 February with over 200 representatives of African football associations expected to attend.
Zifa communications manager, Xolisani Gwesela confirmed they will be sending representatives to the symposium.
Zimbabwe is in the grip of football infrastructure crisis with all but Barbourfields Stadium having been banned from hosting official Caf competitions.
There has been an outcry over the lack development of local stadiums that are failing to meet international standards.
Zifa however does not own most of the stadiums and whatever information they will learn they will have to share it with local authorities and Government who own most of the country’s sporting infrastructure.
The symposium will be held at the Mohammed VI Football Complex of Maâmora in Salé with Fifa president, Gianni Infantino and his Caf counterpart Ahmad Ahmad scheduled to attend.
The football infrastructure meeting will precede the all-important CAF Executive Committee meeting set for 2 February.
Meanwhile Morocco’s city of Laayoune is set to host to the African Futsal Cup of Nations 28 January to 7 February, a competition between the continent’s eight best national futsal teams.
The event which until 2015 was called the African Futsal Championship, is held every four years and offers three African teams tickets to the Fifa Futsal World Cup, which will this year be held in Lithuania in September.
After the group stages, the top two teams from each group meet in the semi-finals, with the two finals and determining the podium.
Mauritius will therefore join Group A, replacing the South Africans who withdrew from the competition for political reasons, alongside hosts Morocco, Libya and Equatorial Guinea while Group B includes Egypt, Guinea, Angola and Mozambique.
Morocco awaits the 2020 edition, organised at home, to confirm its 2016 title, obtained after a 3-2 victory in extremis over Egypt in the final.
The Atlas Lions are second in the African Cup of Nations Total Futsal ranking with one win, two finals and two third place finishes, behind Egypt, who have won three consecutive titles.
