The ManicaPost
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
FOOTBALL fans in Mutare will have their thirst for top flight league football quenched during the 2021/22 Castle Lager Premiership season as four teams will be using Sakubva Stadium as their home ground.
The Castle Lager Premiership cancelled all league matches scheduled for this week after the non-appearance of match officials during Tuesday’s matches across the country following the suspension of the Zifa board by the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC).
However, upon resumption of league action, Mutare-based duo of Manica Diamonds and Tenax FC, Cranborne Bullets and Black Rhinos – all Group Three Chibuku Super Cup teams – have made clear their intentions to use Sakubva Stadium as their home ground.
Technically, this means that fans in Mutare will have two matches every Saturday and Sunday.
The decision by Black Rhinos and Cranborne Bullets to use Sakubva Stadium as their home ground must have been a result of the shortage of venues in Harare.
This has forced seven clubs in the capital to share one stadium for the Premier Soccer League season which got underway last weekend.
The National Sports Stadium is the only ground that has been approved in the capital, following the latest round of inspections conducted by the Zifa First Instance Body.
Meanwhile, football fans are also still expected to part with a significant amount to watch the matches after the Premier Soccer League pegged the cheapest ticket at US$10 or the local currency equivalent, at the prevailing interbank rate.
PSL spokesperson Kudzai Bare said they are sticking to the US$10 entry fee.
“For now we are going ahead with the US$10 entry fee and we will make announcements if there are any changes on the entry fee,” said Bare.
A paltry 17 people paid at the turnstiles to watch the 2021/22 Castle Lager Premiership season opener pitting Manica Diamonds against Hwahwa FC at Sakubva Stadium, last Sunday.
The 17 make up the very few among a legion of football fans in the eastern border city, who could part with US$D10.
In the midst of economic hardships, it would appear that clubs would get more revenue with more fans paying to watch their matches for a much lesser entry fee.
Questions have also been raised on the quality of the product to warrant such an expensive entry fee.
