Yadah founder and president, Prophet Walter Magaya, has acknowledged feeling stressed due to the stadium crisis in Zimbabwe. All stadiums in the country have been prohibited from hosting international matches, leading to the Warriors ‘hosting’ Nigeria in last year’s World Cup qualifier in Rwanda.
Zimbabwe’s representatives in CAF’s inter-club competitions, Ngezi Platinum Stars (Champions League) and Dynamos (Confederation Cup), also face the prospect of playing their home matches outside Zimbabwe in their respective tournaments.
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Magaya, who is working to ensure that his recently-commissioned The Heart Stadium meets CAF requirements, expressed his concerns about the stadium crisis, stating that it is causing him sleepless nights. He mentioned that a small effort is required to meet the necessary standards to host these games.
Regarding The Heart Stadium, Magaya stated, “As for The Heart Stadium, we are now pushing for access roads, and we have also ordered another set of buckets, maybe 10,000 at first.”
When asked about efforts to improve the accessibility of The Heart Stadium, Magaya mentioned, “Access roads are our biggest challenge. When His Excellency (President Emmerson Mnangagwa) came last time (when the facility was commissioned), he said we would get help, and it seems the (Sports) Minister (Kirst Coventry) is coming up on that.”
Magaya emphasized that facilities like Gwanzura and Sakubva, condemned by the ZIFA First Instance Board (FIB) and currently not hosting Premier Soccer League (PSL) matches, are not as bad as they appear and can be renovated. He suggested that with collective effort and support, these facilities can be brought up to the required standards.
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