Yadah Football Club owner Prophet Walter Magaya is fuming over claims by the Zifa Normalisation Commitee (NC) that his Heart Stadium failed meet minimum standards to host continental club competitions.
Zifa claimed that Ngezi Platinum Stars and Dynamos sought to host their Caf Champions League and Confederation Cup home matches at Heart Stadium but the facility falls short of Caf's demands.
On Monday Zifa released a statement "clarifying" the reasons why the recently built stadium cannot not host Dynamos and Ngezi Platinum Stars' CAF club matches set for later this month.
The association said the owners failed to produce a Stadium Safety and Security Certificate during a preliminary inspection.
“The stadium lacks a media tribune, a designated area for vulnerable people, and its ablution facilities do not meet the required standards," wrote Zifa in a statement that was posted on the association's social media handles, but has since been taken down.
Magaya has dismissed the claims as false and defamatory.
Writing through his lawyers Rubaya and Chatambudza legal practitioners, Magaya is demanding a retraction of the Zifa NC statement, failure of which he is threatening to sue for US$1million.
"Our client was shocked that you claim to have conducted preliminary inspections of the Heart Stadium in regards to its suitability to host Ngezi Platinum Stars and Dynamos Football Clubs' preliminary Caf competitions fixtures. It is very unprofessional for you to communicate falsehoods to the nation in the absence of a physical inspection. Our client wants you to inform the nation as to when you requested to formally conduct the so-called preliminary inspections specifically to ascertain if our client's Stadium is suitable to host the Caf competitions fixtures," wrote the legal team.
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The lawyers said their client never received any formal request from Zifa regarding any request for a preliminary inspection of the stadium.
"Furthermore, it challenges you to provide to the nation with that request as well as the invitations and/ or confirmation from the Heart Stadium administration authorizing you to visit the state of the art stadium for the preliminary inspections. If you do not produce the same, it simply means you have misled our football loving nation. One wonders why you would stoop so low for purposes of claiming that you had done preliminary inspections yet none have been conducted. It is our client's contention that you have an insatiable appetite to destroy our client's reputation in circumstances where your role is to administer Zimbabwean football to be world class."
Magaya says his Heart Stadium, which was commissioned by the country's President Emmerson Mnangagwa in December last year, has the best facilities in the country, including its ablutions.
"Our client's stadium is one of the best stadia in this country with the best turf and the best ablution facilities which might be better than the ones you have at your homes. This is why every team that has played at the Heart Stadium can attest to the fact that we have the best turf, the best changing rooms and the best stadium in the country."
Simba Bhora coach Tonderai Ndiraya is on record saying the Heart Stadium is the best in the country while Bikita Minerals number one fan Gogo Mesa recently said the facility was incomparable.
"In light of the above, our strict instructions are to demand, as we hereby do, the publication of a full unconditional and unreserved withdrawal of that defamatory press release and the related imputations together with an expression of request on the same within twelve hours of receiving this letter as well as an instruction to your personnel in charge of the content on your social media pages/handles to delete the posts in question.
"In the event that you fail to retract the defamatory statement as demanded, our client shall proceed to issue summons and claim damages for defamation in the tune of US$1000,000,00 without any further notice to you."
Ngezi Platinum Stars will play their Caf Champions League home matches in Zambia while Dynamos will use a venue in Botswana for their Caf Confederations Cup games due to the unavailability of a Caf certified stadium in Zimbabwe. The two matches will be played in a fortnight's time.
