Walter Magaya, ZIFA trade barbs over Heart Stadium

By Sports Reporter

Prominent preacher and businessman Walter Magaya’s Heart Group has hired lawyers to fight off astonishing claims by the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) the much-celebrated Heart Stadium in Harare fell short of the benchmarks set by CAF for it to be regarded as suitable to host international football matches.

This follows a damning statement issued by the football mother body on Monday claiming the 5 000 seater football facility was not suitable to host matches pitting Ngezi Platinum and Dynamos against opponents from outside.

The Zimbabwe league and Chibuku Cup winners play in the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup this month and because of a ban imposed by the continental body on local stadia, local teams participating in international matches now rely on hiring stadiums from outside the country.

In a statement on Monday, ZIFA went all out to discredit Heart Stadium.

“The Zimbabwe Football Association wishes to address the recent misleading reports regarding the status of Heart Stadium and its capability to host Ngezi Platinum Stars’ and Dynamos FC’s preliminary fixtures in their respective CAF competitions,” ZIFA said.

“The Association would like to clarify that all necessary procedures were meticulously followed by the Club Licencing Department, in accordance with CAF directives, to try and assist the clubs to play their home games in Zimbabwe.

“However, during preliminary inspections, Heart Stadium was unable to produce a Stadium Safety and Security Certificate as required by the process. Consequently, the facility could not be sanctioned.

“Additionally, the stadium lacks a media tribune, a designated area for vulnerable people, and its ablution facilities do not meet the required standards.

“We trust this statement clarifies the situation and rectifies any misinformation that has been circulating.”

But in a blistering response to ZIFA and through lawyers, The Heart Group demanded a retraction and further scolded the football mother body for allegedly basing its position on unverified social media claims.

The group said;

RE: URGENT RETRACTION OF THE ZIFA PRESS STATEMENT ON HEART STADIUM

1. The above matter refers and in particular our client The Heart Group [pvt ltd) which instructs us to engage with you concerning the disparaging press release that you circulated on the 5th of August 20234 in relation to the Heart Stadium. Please note our professional interest in the matter.

2. Our client was shocked that you claim to have conducted preliminary inspections of the Heart Stadium regards 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.

2.1 Our client wants you to advise 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,

2.2 Our client instructs that it never received any formal request from ZIFA regards being had to the alleged preliminary inspection. Furthermore, it challenges you to provide the nation with that request as well as the invitation and/or confirmation from the Heart Stadium administration authorising you to visit his state-of-the-art stadium for the preliminary inspections. If you do not produce same, it simply means that 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.

2.3 It is our client’s contention that you have an insatiable appetite to destroy our client’s ‘s reputation in circumstances where your role is to administer Zimbabwean football to be world-class.

3. It is further perplexing that you claim that our client’s stadium lacks a media tribune yet journalists from all the media houses have never lodged any complaint regards that. You should also know that ZIN streams live most of the matches which are played from the Heart Stadium and the commentators will be performing their duties without any challenges. It is only that you would never know this because like you said you have never physically attended a football match from any stadium in this country like you said before the Parliamentary Committee on Sport.

3.1 It is unfortunate that you want to gather information based on rumours from social media which might be very misleading. You are encouraged to take a step back and do a self-introspection as to whether or not your press release was justified or called for. Did you give our client the right to reply before issuing the unfortunate press release? You know the answer!!!

3.2 You should know that you are no longer a nonentity but you occupy a very important position thanks to FIFA for choosing you. Therefore, you need to approach football issues with caution and you need to conduct yourselves with absolute candour as well as with probity as football leaders in this country.”