BULAWAYO – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Tuesday shot down plans by the Zimbabwe Football Association to stage the November 15 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier staged at Barbourfields Stadium in Bulawayo.
CAF asked ZIFA for a guarantee that the Barbourfields Stadium floodlights work – but ZIFA could not provide the guarantee as the lights were last turned on in 2017.
CAF want all Africa Cup of Nations matches to kick-off simultaneously at 5PM local time, meaning part of the match will be played under floodlights.
ZIFA had made the unusual decision to take the match away from the National Sports Stadium to give a chance to fans in the southern region to watch the Warriors in action.
Explaining their thinking, Phillemon Machana, the ZIFA vice president, said: “We’re saying Zimbabwe is not Harare. Bulawayo, like every other part of the country, deserves to watch their team, a national asset that belongs to every Zimbabwean. We will continue to rotate matches for the benefit of our fans.”
ZIFA communications chief Xolisani Gwesela said: “We tried all we could but CAF said there was no certainty on the Barbourfields lighting system because those floodlights were last used in 2017.”
The national team goes into camp on Monday next week.
