THE Warriors return to action early next month when they plunge into the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
They kick off with an away match against Kenya, who like Zimbabwe do not have a Caf-approved stadium to host international matches and will play the Warriors in Uganda.
Zimbabwe’s campaign is already blighted by a plethora of challenges even before the qualifiers kick off.
The new coach, Michael Nees, is yet to get the green light to commence work as Zifa scrambles to get him a work permit.
Zifa took ages to appoint a coach and now suffers the consequences of its lackadaisical approach to such an urgent matter.
After the Kenya match, Zimbabwe will play Cameroon at home.
Last week, Zifa chief executive officer Yvonne Manwa said they were yet to settle for a venue for the Cameroon match.
They were at that time considering Uganda and South Africa as possible venues for that home match.
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“We are looking at two places, that is Uganda and South Africa, but we have not confirmed any of those as yet,” Manwa told NewsDay Sport.
“We are still doing the logistics. We will let the nation know when we have finalised the processes. People should stop spreading rumours.”
What is worrying is not only that Zifa is yet to secure a venue just weeks before the big match, but that it is considering hosting the match in Uganda.
What benefit will The Warriors derive from playing a home match in Uganda?
A home match is supposed to give a team some kind of advantage.
The Warriors are already disadvantaged because they cannot play their match in Zimbabwe since all local stadiums are banned from hosting international matches.
But they can enjoy some advantage if they play the match against Cameroon at a venue where they can draw the majority of supporters.
They can create a home away from home and an obvious choice is South Africa because of the potential to bank on thousands of nationals domiciled in the neighbouring country.
In their match against Lesotho, which was played at Orlando Stadium earlier this year, The Warriors attracted a sizeable and vibrant crowd.
They lost that match, but they cannot say that they were not well backed.
A few days later, they played South Africa in Port Elizabeth and it was another carnival atmosphere, with Warriors fans coming in their numbers.
With that experience in mind, why then should Uganda be even considered?
The priority is for the Warriors to qualify for the next Afcon finals, especially given that their World Cup campaign is ailing.
Zifa should not just think of saving money.
Flying players to Uganda for the Kenya match and then to South Africa or even Botswana for the Cameroon match will certainly come at a cost.
But that is international football. It’s not cheap and if cutting costs is the priority, why are we even entering the competition.
Playing in Uganda will give Cameroon the comfort that they should not be accorded.
Chances of qualifying for major tournaments hinge on winning home matches.
Zifa should be prioritising gaining points not saving money.
We urge Zifa to choose a venue that gives the team the best chance of collecting maximum points rather than the association choosing to tighten purse strings.
Above all, why should we be playing home matches away from our country?
Government must be serious and refurbish our stadiums to standard.
Lack of seriousness by the authorities is the reason we are now squatting in other countries.
What the authorities have done with roads and other related infrastructure in the run-up to the Sadc Heads of State and Government Summit can be replicated at our sporting facilities.
We urge Zifa to fix football stadiums and other sporting arenas.
