HARARE, ZIMBABWE – Prophet Walter Magaya has through his lawyers, Rubaya and Chatambudza, threatened to sue the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) for allegedly spreading falsehoods about the newly constructed Heart Stadium.
This comes after ZIFA through the Normalisation Committee (NC) chairman Lincoln Mutasa issued a statement on Monday ‘clarifying’ reasons behind the inability of the stadium to host continental club competitions.
According to ZIFA, the Heart Stadium failed to meet the Confederation of African Football (CAF) requirements.
ZIFA suggested a preliminary inspection was carried and the Heart Stadium is currently not compliant with CAF standards in several critical areas.
“The Zimbabwe Football Association wishes to address the recent misleading reports regarding the status of Heart Stadium and its capability to host Ngezi Platinum Stars’ and Dynamos FC’s preliminary fixtures in their respective CAF competitions.
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“The Association would like to clarify that all necessary procedures were meticulously followed by the Club Licencing Department, in accordance with CAF directives, to try and assist the clubs to play their home games in Zimbabwe,” reads ZIFA’s statement.
“However, during preliminary inspections, Heart Stadium was unable to produce a Stadium Safety and Security Certificate as required by the process. Consequently, the facility could not be sanctioned.
“Additionally, the stadium lacks a media tribune, a designated area for vulnerable people, and its ablution facilities do not meet the required standards.
“We trust this statement clarifies the situation and rectifies any misinformation that has been circulating.”
Responding to ZIFA’s statement, the Yadah FC owner in a letter written by his lawyers demanded the country’s football association to “retract the defamatory statement”.
Furthermore, Magaya indicated that if ZIFA fails to retract its statement, he “shall proceed to issue summons and claim damages for defamation in the tune of US$100,000,00 without any further notice to you”.
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