BY SPORTSCAST WRITER
HARARE – Zimbabwe’s football federation says the move by Namibia to use an empty stadium for Thursday’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Johannesburg is gamesmanship, an attempt to counter the Zimbabweans’ huge support base in South Africa.
The match will be played behind closed doors at the request of the Namibians, who are technically the home team for the clash. The Namibia Football Association has cited inability to provide adequate security for the decision.
Both Namibia and Zimbabwe are currently banned from playing at home due to substandard stadia, forcing both nations to use Soweto’s Orlando Stadium for their back-to-back 2025 Afcon qualifiers on Thursday and Monday.
Namibia’s Brave Warriors will therefore be the home team on Thursday, with the Warriors of Zimbabwe hosting the return leg of the Group J contest on Monday at the same venue.
“The game on Thursday will be played behind closed doors at Namibia’s behest,” a Zimbabwe Football Association spokesman said on Monday.
“The official line is that they don’t have the money for stadium security etc…but they obviously want to negate the Zim support.”
Millions of Zimbabwean nationals reside in South Africa, with the Johannesburg area being a hub. This definitely would have guaranteed Zimbabwe a large chunk of the support from the stands, in what should be their opponents’ home game.
Crowds will however be let in when it’s Zimbabwe’s turn to host on Monday.
