Still not good enough: CAF condemns Rufaro, NSS

National Sports Stadium in Harare pic: @online_zifa/Twitter

Zimbabwe’s stadiums are still not up to standard for international football, the Confederation of African Football (CAF), has said.

The two stadiums inspected are the National Sports Stadium and Rufaro Stadium. Both are situated in Harare.

Said CAF:

With reference to the stadium general inspection conducted by CAF in Zimbabwe to assess the National Sports Stadium (Harare) and Rufaro Stadium (Harare), based on the inspection report, we regret to inform you that both stadiums do not meet the set CAF stadium minimum requirements to host CAF international matches…

The inspection report concluded that several areas in both the stadiums require a total renovation in accordance with the CAF requirements, overall indicating that the stadiums must be totally revamped and redesigned from the ground up to fit the modern football stadium requirements and standards.

Areas such as the field of play, stands and spectator facilities, competition areas, media and medical facilities are just some of the main highlighted issues.

Additionally, the functionality, design, comfort and quality of equipment in the stadiums are currently of great concern.

Tellingly CAF say no work has been done on government-owned National Sports Stadium. This is despite repeated pronouncements by officials that renovation was indeed being done.

One of those was by the Finance Minister Prof Mthuli Ncube in his recent budget, saying that the National Sports Stadium would undergo renovation and would be available for use by the March 2024 international window.

Rufaro is owned by the City of Harare, and will reopen in a few weeks after lying dormant for years.

And it is dire.

“We would like to highlight that the overall stadium situation in Zimbabwe remains critical, and in case the standards do not improve in the near future, the national teams and clubs will have to continue to play their CAF matches in an approved stadium outside of your territory,” CAF said.

Zimbabwe had to undergo the ignominious experience of playing their matches in Rwanda.

Ngezi Platinum Stars and Dynamos might have to play their CAF matches on neutral ground.