The National Sports Stadium will be banned from hosting senior teams’ international matches and other CAF Men’s Inter-Club Competitions until outstanding issues noted in previous reports have been addressed.
The Harare venue underwent inspection last week and its temporary approval will expire in November after the final World Cup Qualifier against Ethiopia.
According to ZIFA, areas that require urgent attention for the stadium to meet required standards include:
- Individual seats in the stadium
There should be fixed seats in all sectors of the stadium. Seats for spectators must be individual, fixed (e.g. to the floor), separated from one another, shaped, numbered, made of an unbreakable and non-flammable material, and have a backrest of a minimum height of thirty (30) cm when measured from the seat. - Electronic Turnstiles
The stadium should be equipped with modern electronic turnstiles and automated systems - Venue Operations Centre (VOC)
The stadium must have a functional Venue Operations Centre (VOC) with a good overview of the stadium equipped with CCTV monitors. It should have an override capability over the Public Address System in case of emergency announcements. The VOC should be staffed and serve as the command centre for security and safety operations. - Renovation of B – Arena
The B Arena of the stadium should be renovated in line with CAF Training field infrastructure requirements. - Other facilities in the stadium are still not up to the required CAF standard. The stadium needs to be fully modernized and brought up to the international standard requirements.
ZIFA has already communicated CAF’s latest decision to the Sport and Recreation Commission.