The Bulawayo City Council (BCC) have reportedly been told to completely demolish Barbourfields Stadium and reconstruct it for the facility to meet key international football standards as per the recommendations of the CAF inspection team.

The ground was deemed unfit to host international games by the continental football body and recommendations to upgrade certain areas were made by a delegation who inspected the venue last month.

According to a senior council official at BCC in an interview with the Chronicle, the upgrade could require demolishing certain areas of the stadium, especially the VIP end.

The unnamed official told the publication: “You must remember that the stadium was built in the 1930s, but started taking shape around 1956, so for us to compare such a facility with South African stadiums that were built or worked on in preparation for the 2010 Fifa World Cup will be asking for too much given the time and economic considerations.

“It’s just like trying to convert a Peugeot 404 into a Mercedes Benz or something, it’s impossible.

“So for us as a city to have a totally compliant stadium we really need to demolish it (Barbourfields) or maybe work on White City Stadium, which has some space for structural changes, but that needs financial impetus.”

The revelations come at a time when the Zifa First Instance Body (FIB) arrives in Bulawayo tomorrow for inspection of Barbourfields Stadium ahead of a visit by the Caf team.