VICE-PRESIDENT Kembo Mohadi has admitted that government is embarrassed by the country's failure to host international football matches due to the country’s sub-standard facilities.

Mohadi came face to face to with the level of decay of the local sporting facilities when he toured the National Sports Stadium, Magamba Hockey Stadium and Rufaro Stadium yesterday.

He was accompanied by acting Sports minister Jenfan Muswere and deputy Emily Jesaya on a mission to assess progress on the rehabilitation of some of the facilities.

Speaking after the tour, Mohadi said he felt ashamed and that the government is equally embarrassed by how sporting facilities have deteriorated to the extent that all stadiums have been condemned to host international matches.

“Zimbabwe as one of the most elite nations, to be disqualified [from hosting international matches] and find that other countries that are least elite qualify, is an egg on our face,” Mohadi said.

“I remember at one time these sporting facilities were so good that we even managed to host the All-Africa Games in 1995.”

In that year, the government managed to renovate Rufaro Stadium, as well as building Magamba Hockey Stadium, Khumalo Hockey Stadium and the Aquatic Complex in Chitungwiza.

Only the Khumalo Hockey stadium in Bulawayo is still fit for purpose.

“Together with the councils and the central government we need to see to it that we spruce up our sporting facilities to a standard whereby we qualify to host Caf and Fifa tournaments. Sport is not just a recreational thing, it's a discipline and a career. There are many people [who] you know [who] have taken sport as a career and have done very well in their lives. We need to have state-of-the-art sporting facilities in this country because we can actually do so. I'm saying so because in 1995 when we won the bid to host the All Africa Games, sporting facilities were done within a very short space of time. It is sort of embarrassing to learn that we are being disqualified because we don't have plastic bucket seats, something that doesn't cost quite a lot. We have to end this embarrassment,” Mohadi said.

Zimbabwe has not had a Caf-certified stadium since 2019 when the National Sports Stadium was condemned for failing to meet international standards.

At the time, Caf said a number of areas of the stadium need to be looked into, including the installation of bucket seats, modern electronic turnstiles and automated systems, and the setting up of a functional venue operations centre with a good view of the stadium, equipped with CCTV monitors for security purposes.

Caf also demanded the refurbishment of changing rooms and the upgrading of the B Arena in line with Caf training field infrastructure requirements.

But five years on, very little has been done by the government to renovate the stadium to meet the required standards. In fact, the stadium has deteriorated further and is now closed for use by local clubs.

Consequently, Zimbabwe are playing their international home matches in foreign lands.

The country used Huye Stadium in Rwanda to host Nigeria in their 2026 World Cup qualifier in November. Next month, the Warriors will host Lesotho in the same qualifiers at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg on June 7.

This is despite assurances by Sports Minister Kirsty Coventry early this year that renovation works at the National Sports Stadium will be fast-tracked for it to be ready for the June qualifier.

Mohadi said he has taken it upon himself to push for the facilities to be resuscitated.

“We have taken it upon ourselves that we need to correct that. I want to thank the City of Harare through His Worship the Mayor Councillor Jacob Mafume for the strides that they have taken to spruce and mordenise Rufaro Stadium. They have managed to meet some of the requirements that are required of by Caf and Fifa. He was informing me that Rufaro is now hosting league matches, which is good music to my ears. Together, the council and the central government have got to do it. We have to create sporting facilities that meet the international standards. It will be good for us and maybe happy moments for us when we would eventually host international tournaments on our soil.

“It's not much that needs to be done, the scope of works that have been availed to me for both the National Sports Stadium and Rufaro are not insurmountable,” Mohadi added.

During the tour, Mohadi was informed by Sports ministry officials that work to renovate the National Sports Stadium could start in October when the bucket seats, imported from China, are expected to arrive in the country.

The officials said the turnstiles and CCTV monitors are already in the country.