Billiat Khama to play home matches in South Africa . Zimbabwe stadiums banned by CAF. It was discovered that Zimbabwe’s local pitches no longer meet international standards.
So Zimbabwe National team was asked to select match venues from other countries in Africa .
Below is a ZIFA statement confirming the development:
The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) would like to inform the football fraternity and the nation that it has received correspondence from the Confederation of African Football that our stadiums do not meet Confederation of African Football (CAF) standards to host international matches.
Consequently, CAF has made a decision to bar ZIFA from using local stadiums in all upcoming international matches.
The decision by CAF comes against the background of a CAF stadium inspection which was conducted in November 2019 and the subsequent inspection report circulated on the 1st of December which stipulated areas of improvement for our three stadiums, Barbourfields, Mandava and the National Sports Stadium (NSS), to be fully homologated. While Mandava and NSS were completely struck off the roster, Barbourfields was provisionally certified on the condition that issues raised in the inspection report would be addressed.
Stadium authorities were notified of CAF’s position and the urgent nature of the situation at hand. To date, neither of the three stadium authorities has requested us to invite CAF for another inspection, a position which CAF has said led to the decision to bar all three stadiums from hosting international matches.
While ZIFA is engaging CAF with a view to appeal this decision, we have asked stadium authorities to send us commitment letters detailing timelines on work that needs to be done before CAF comes for another inspection. Once we receive such commitment, we will send to CAF.
In this moment we urge all stakeholders to work for a common cause for us to quickly right this wrong which takes away our sovereignty. We have been using stadiums which do not meet CAF and FIFA standards for a while now, but we need to put our heads together as a country to ensure that our stadiums are renovated to meet required standards.
We unreservedly apologise to all football stakeholders for inconveniences that the decision has brought.
We are hopeful that everyone who has influence to expedite the process of bringing our teams back home will do their part.
Meanwhile , we have also started the process of looking for an alternative venue in neighbouring countries to host our upcoming matches.
FOR AND ON BEHALF OF THE ZIMBABWE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION: – XOLISANI GWESELA, COMMUNICATIONS AND COMPETITIONS MANAGER.
Sourjya Chowdhury, gave us more information about a football pitch below . The pitch is rectangular in shape. The longer sides are called touchlines. The other opposing sides are called the goal lines. The two goal lines must be between 45 and 90 m (50 and 100 yd) and be the same length. The two touch lines must also be of the same length, and be between 90 and 120 m (100 and 130 yd) in length. All lines must be equally wide, not to exceed 12 centimetres (5 in). The corners of the pitch are demarcated by corner flags.
For international matches the field dimensions are more tightly constrained; the goal lines must be between 64 and 75 m (70 and 80 yd) long and the touchlines must be between 100 and 110 m (110 and 120 yd). In March 2008 the IFAB attempted to standardise the size of the football pitch for international matches and set the official dimensions of a pitch to 105 m long by 68 m wide.
Although the term goal line is often taken to mean only that part of the line between the goalposts, in fact it refers to the complete line at either end of the pitch, from one corner flag to the other.
Goals are placed at the centre of each goal-line. These consist of two upright posts placed equidistant from the corner flagposts, joined at the top by a horizontal crossbar. The inner edges of the posts must be 7.32 metres (8 yd) apart, and the lower edge of the crossbar must be 2.44 metres (8 ft) above the ground. Nets are usually placed behind the goal, though are not required by the Laws.
The penalty area is similarly formed by the goal-line and lines extending from it, however its lines commence 18 yards (16 m) from the goalposts and extend 18 yards (16 m) into the field.
P.S. You can refer to the image attached.
