THE Zimbabwe national football team completed its set of matches for this international break with a match against Nigeria in Uyo yesterday.
This followed its home match against Benin where it played out a two-all draw in Durban on Thursday.
The Warriors' next home match for this qualifying campaign will be on September 6 where they host Rwanda.
That is five months between now and the next home match.
Outgoing Sports minister Kirsty Coventry toured the National Sports Stadium which is currently undergoing a face-lift so that it can meet Caf minimum standards.
What came out of her visit for which only State media was invited is that the process is moving at a snail’s pace.
Each time the government gives an update on process, it presents new problems.
And now it has adopted a new approach where it refuses to give targets or time-lines for the completion of the stadium.
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Coventry was quoted as saying that there is still a lot of work to be done and the process is being dragged by the drip-feeding of funds.
“We would have liked to have the process a little bit quicker, but I am glad now that I have seen all the bucket seats are here and now it’s just about installing," she said.
“I do want to say a big thank you to Fifa and Caf because they’ve been very good in giving us guidance along the way.
“And the partnerships are really working very well. So, I am glad that those relationships are also back to where we would have liked them to have been from the beginning,”
Asked about time-lines she said she could not share those until a team from Caf came to inspect the stadium.
While she said all the bucket seats were now in place, it's only about four bays that had seats installed.
It is highly unlikely that the government will be able to complete the renovations this year if the current pace is maintained.
We, however, continue to urge the authorities to resolve the challenges expeditiously and ensure the completion of the renovations.
It's been more than five years since the government embarked on the rehabilitation of the almost 40-year-old facility.
Playing home games in other countries is such an embarrassment.
The Warriors preferred to play Benin in Polokwane but had to seek another venue after South Africa decided to use the stadium.
Zimbabwe coach Micheal Nees was impressed by the world-class facilities in Nigeria. He said he wished Zimbabwe had such kind of facilities.
It’s time high time the government invested enough resources to complete the face-lift and put this matter to rest. The Warriors supporters deserve better. They can’t be on the road each time the senior football national team has a fixture.
