SW Radio Africa (London)
Henry Makiwa
12 November 2007
Revelations that the refurbishment exercise at football stadiums is behind schedule may hamper the country's hopes of benefiting from the forthcoming football world cup in neighbouring South Africa.
The world's football governing body FIFA will send a second inspection team to visit Zimbabwe on Tuesday. The team will seek to verify whether the country has complied in rectifying the identified repairs and improvements to the stadiums. However, two of the country's biggest venues are reportedly still not repaired.
Observers say FIFA may opt to strike Zimbabwe off the official supporting countries in favour of other countries in Southern Africa, if they are dissatisfied with work at the stadiums.
The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) has currently been repairing Harare's Rufaro and the National Sports Stadium, while plans are afoot to start work on Bulawayo's Barbourfields Stadium. Blame has been laid on government's lack of hands-on approach in assisting ZIFA to acquire enough funds and manpower for the refurbishments.
According to Harare city commission minutes from last week's meeting, there are fears that Rufaro stadium, in particular, may be abandoned.
Completion of the security wall project, erection of boom gates, upgrading of floodlights and a public address system are reported to be on the outstanding jobs list, the city's commission heard.
The minutes further read: "If the stadium fails to pass the required standard, the venue would be abandoned and council would have seriously let the nation down and no teams would use the stadium."
On Monday, ZIFA chief executive Henrietta Rushwaya, admitted that the National Sports Stadium is "months away from completion."
She said: "The work at the National Sports Stadium is a government to government deal between Zimbabwe and China so our hands are tied there. The repairs at Rufaro, contrary to state press reports, are ahead of schedule.
"We received funds from FIFA to put in new artificial turf and that is what we have been doing. Any reports to the contrary are just rubbish."
Rushwaya herself is under fire as she has been charged with embezzling ZIFA funds. She was arrested on Friday and appeared in court on allegations of theft involving US$2 400.
Police picked up Rushwaya at the Zifa offices in Harare and she appeared before provincial magistrate Mishrod Guvamombe, who remanded her to November 23 on Z$10 million bail. She refused to give much detail into the case, insisting only that she is innocent and that there were political forces as play.
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