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The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has renewed its ban on the country from using the National Sports Stadium to host international matches involving both club and the senior national football team citing non-compliance with set down recommendations for the facility to reach acceptable levels for use in the matches.

This was revealed in a statement by ZIFA Monday.

ZIFA said CAF has granted the country a one-match approval to host the outstanding Warriors’ FIFA 2022 World Cup qualifying clash against Ethiopia next month.

The ban encompasses other CAF Men’s inter club competitions.

Said ZIFA, “This follows the inspection the facility by CAF’s Tshegofatso Moiloa on 13 and 14 October.

“CAF indicated that the Warriors’ home World Cup qualifier against Ethiopia in November will be the last game that we will play at home.

“The National Sports Stadium was initially banned from hosting senior teams’ matches in 2020 but was provisionally cleared later in the same year.

“Since then, CAF has been using reports from inspections conducted to extend the temporary approval.”

Under CAF’s demands, the stadium should be fitted with fixed seats in all sectors in the stadium.

Further reported ZIFA, “Seats for spectators must be individual, fixed (e.g to the floor) separated from one another, shaped, numbered, made of an unbreakable material and have a backrest of a minimum height of 30 cm when measured from the seat.

“Electronic Turnstiles, the stadium should be equipped with modern electronic turnstiles and automated systems.”

To get the nod to resume hosting matches, the stadium must also have a functional Venue Operations Centre (VOC) with a good overview of the stadium equipped with CCTV monitors.

“It should have an override capability over Public Address System in case of emergency announcements. The VOC should be staffed and serve as command centre for security and safety,” ZIFA added.

Renovation of the B arena of the stadium should be in line with CAF Training field infrastructure requirements.

Other facilities in the stadium are still not up to the required CAF standard.

The stadium needs to be fully modernised and brought up to the international standard requirements.

ZIFA have recommended CAF’s latest decision to the Sport and recreation Commission (SRC).

The SA Football Association (Safa) is considering increasing the number of supporters from 2,000 to more than 20,000 for Bafana Bafana’s next match at home against Zimbabwe next month, but everyone, including the media, security and vendors, will have to produce a vaccine certificate.

Bafana beat Ethiopia in front of 2,000 vaccinated supporters in a 2022 Qatar Fifa World Cup qualifier at FNB Stadium on Tuesday and TimesLIVE has been reliably informed that there will be more than 20,000 screaming fans when the national team host the Warriors at the same 94,000 capacity venue on November 11.

Safa communications manager Dominic Chimhavi said given that the return of fans against Ethiopia was a pilot project that turned out to be a success, the association is considering allowing more fans for Bafana’s next match.

But Chimhavi said there must first be a thorough consultation process and that it was too early to start mentioning numbers.

“We have already started preparing for the Zimbabwe game and we are going to engage various stakeholders to suggest increasing the percentage of those attending the next game.”

Safa is on a countrywide charm offensive along with stakeholders to encourage the football community to embrace a vaccination drive.

“That is the only way the football economy can be resuscitated and if we are to return to normal good old days.”

Several journalists who have not taken the jab were turned away at the stadium along with hundreds of unvaccinated supporters after failing to produce vaccine certificates.

The journalists pointed a finger of incompetence at Safa officials and said that they were not told during the accreditation process that they needed to have vaccine certificates handy to be allowed in. Some journalists who have not yet taken the jab said they would not have bothered to go to the stadium if it was made clear to them from the onset.

The journalists said they were not required to produce the certificates during media activities with the team building up to the match and thought that the same arrangement would apply on match day.

Chimhavi said the days of unvaccinated members of the media attending Bafana activities are over as Safa will start to enforce a strict vaccination policy for everyone.

Journalists have stopped attending domestic matches and physical interactions with players and coaches since football resumed under Covid-19 protocols without fans.

“Not only journalists but everyone involved, including security guards, caterers and so on No vaccination, no entry.

“Even those mamas who sell pap and vleis at the stadium must be vaccinated, the taxi drivers who shuttle fans to the stadiums must be vaccinated, and members of the media.

“This is a win-win situation for everyone. Get vaccinated and grow the country in every aspect,” said Chimhavi.

The successful hosting of fans for the Bafana match against Ethiopia was celebrated across the country and it is believed that the Premier Soccer League will follow in the mother body’s footsteps.

There was a glimmer of hope on Wednesday after the league’s executive committee resolved to use the October 30 MTN8 final between Mamelodi Sundowns and Cape Town City at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban as a pilot project for the return to stadiums for domestic football.

“The executive committee will meet again within the next seven to 10 days to assess the outcome of the consultation process and the PSL will communicate the approach that will be implemented after the meeting,” the league said.

The domestic Premiership returns this weekend with no fans after the Fifa international weekend. TimesLive

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos is targeting maximum points in their next 2022 Qatar Fifa World Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe next month.

A win for Bafana against the Warriors, who have been eliminated from the qualifying race after three successive losses, will leave South Africa on the verge of reaching the final World Cup qualifying stage.

Bafana will go into that crucial home match on the back of three successive victories where they scored five goals and conceded only once, while Zimbabwe will be looking for their first win of the qualifiers.

Broos acknowledged that Zimbabwe are not going to be easy, despite the fact that they have only managed one point from four matches.

“We are still number one on the log and we will see in the home game here against Zimbabwe, which is the most important game for us now. Let’s hope that we will be ready and fresher for that game,” he said.

To get the desired results in the match, Broos said his players must show the determination and character that they have shown in their four matches to stay at the top of the group.

While not always convincing, Bafana beat Ethiopia 1-0 at FNB Stadium on Tuesday night in a game that will have lifted confidence in the camp.

“I am looking at players playing with the combinations like they did against Ghana, I am expecting them to show character like they showed against Ethiopia and I think we have a great chance to finish top in our group.

“I know the situation as it is now, in one month we have to go again with a one-point lead and that means Ghana has to win their next match against Ethiopia. There is no other solution for them. TimesLive

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The Warriors have virtually surrendered their FIFA 2022 World Cup qualification hopes after suffering a humiliating 3-1 beating by Ghana in a Group G qualifier played saturday at the 15 000-seater Cape Coast Stadium in Cape Coast, Ghana.

Even after partying ways with Croatian coach Zdravko Logarusic’s for home grown gaffer Norman Mapeza, the country’s most loved football team proved its world cup qualifying fortunes were irredeemable.

Zimbabwe levelled the scores after 47 minutes through a Knowledge Musona spot kick.

Arsenal’s Thomas Partey increased the scores to 2-1 for Ghana after 67 minutes with Crystal Palace’s Andre Ayew complicating the Warriors’ situation with an 87^th minute header to make it 3-1 for the hosts.

The Warriors could still take the humiliation despite showcasing a galaxy of stars who included US based defender Teenage Hadebe, England based Marvelous Nakamba and Marshall Munetsi who plies his trade in France.

The loss to Ghana means the Warriors only have a single point from a possible nine from three matches played in the campaign so far.

Teams:

Ghana starting line-up

Jojo Wollacott (GK) Daniel Amartey Jonathan Mensah Alexander Djiku Abdul Rahman Baba Thomas Partey Andre Ayew (C) Mohammed Kudus Issahaku Fatawu Kamaldeen Sulemana Jordan Ayew

Zimbabwe starting line up

Arubi Washington, Munetsi Marshall, Bhasera Onismor, Darikwa Tendai David, Chikwende Perfect, Madzongwe Kelvin Wilbert, Kamusoko Thabani Michael, Nakamba Marvelous, Musona Knowledge, Mutizwa Knox, Jordan Zemura.

There seems to be no stopping former Mamelodi Sundowns striker Nyasha Mushekwi who has now surpassed the 20-goal mark in China in just 25 games.

On Sunday, Mushekwi grabbed a brace for Zhejiang Greentown in a 4-1 away win over Nanjing City after having also scored the opener in a 3-0 win over Suzhou Dongwu in mid-week.

The 34-year-old has now taken his tally to 21 goals in 25 games this season as his side chase promotion to the Chinese Super League.

Such has been Mushekwi’s scoring form of late that he has been on target in all of the last five games for his club.

His double on Sunday means he has six goals in the last five games.

This is the second time that he has scored in five consecutive games having done the same from late July into August through a period in which he scored seven.

The top scorer award is now his for the taking with Nigerian forward Chisom Egbuchulam of leaders Meizhou Hakka on 17 goals.

Mushekwi’s club is in third place but on the same number of points as the team in second in the chase for promotion to the Chinese Super League.

The top two teams in League One go up automatically while those in third and fourth at the end of the season then go into the promotion play-offs against teams from Super League.

Since his first season at Sundowns in 2010, the 34-year-old has been in double figures on seven occasions proving just how much he scores despite all the criticism that he gets for his style of play.

In his time at Sundowns he scored 40 goals in 53 starts.

Through his time abroad he has also earned good money to be also able to buy his former club CAPS United a bus and afford a life of comforts – KickOff.

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Warriors forward Knox Mutizwa struck once and later scored an own goal but ended the day with a smile as his Golden Arrows Sunday routed countryman Washington Arubi’s Marumo Gallants in the DStv Premiership on Sunday afternoon.

The bearded star struck midway inside the second half through a ball threaded by teammate Siyabonga Khumalo for him to beat Arubi cleanly with a low shot to give his side the second goal.

The former Highlanders star was also unlucky when he later scored an own goal to allow opponents to pull one back.

The match however ended with a 3-1 win for Arrows following a stoppage time effort by the hosts.

Meanwhile, another Warriors star Divine Lunga has picked his first DSTV Premiership Man of the Match award in a Mamelodi Sundowns jersey.

The 26-year-old Zimbabwean left-back was making his second start and also featuring for the entire 90 minutes in a 3-0 routing of Moroka Swallows Sunday.

Lunga joined Sundowns in the pre-season from Golden Arrows but took a while to adapt and get his campaign going. He now has two appearances, both as starts.

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Former Warriors and Dynamos gaffer Callisto Pasuwa has clinched his third successive league championship with Malawian side Nyasa Big Bullets in the neighbouring country’s Super League.

The Blantyre based side won 3-0 against Kamuzu Barracks in their penultimate round of the season on Saturday to open a four-point lead at the top.

Second-placed Silver Strikers lost to Moyale Barracks 2-0 to lose ground to their rivals.

Pasuwa won his first title in his debut season in 2019 before leading the team to another league glory in the following season.

He completes his hattrick with a game to spare.

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The Mighty Warriors have had a false start to their 2021 COSAFA Women Championship campaign following a 0-3 mauling by Tanzania in a match played Wednesday afternoon at the Nelson Mandela Bay.

In another match played Wednesday, last year’s beaten finalists Botswana opened their 2021 COSAFA Women’s Championships Group B campaign with a 7-0 victory over guest nation South Sudan at a wet Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

Meanwhile, in Wednesday’s round of Chibuku Super Cup matches played in different parts of the country, Dynamos edged Yadah 1-0 while FC Platinum walloped Whawha 4-0.

Other results.

FC Platinum 4-0 Whawha

Ngezi Platinum Stars 2-2 Triangle United

Cranborne Bullets 1-1 Manica Diamonds

Chicken Inn 2-0 Bulawayo City

*Tenax 0-0 Black Rhinos

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Highlanders Football Club Sunday joined late club legend Mercedes Rambo Sibanda’s family unveil the tombstone of the former Warriors right back.

Sibanda died in 2002 when he was just 36.

Famed for his rickety legs commonly known as iziqwanga in Ndebele and a robust frame, Rambo is no doubt one of the club’s greatest legends.

He was nicknamed after Rambo, the legendary masculine American action film star.

Zimbabwe’s 1987 soccer star of the year featured in the history making Zimbabwe Senior Men’s football squad that came within 90 minutes of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup in America 1994.

The then Reinhard Fabisch coached Dream Team also featured the likes of current the famous Ndlovu brothers – Madinda, Adam (late) and Peter – current Warriors coach Norman Mapeza, then Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar, Ephraim Chawanda, Willard Khumalo (late) Rahman Gumbo, Vitalis Takawira, Agent Sawu, Moses Chunga and the late Benjamin Konjera.

𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞.

The tombstone of the late legend & arguably the best right-back the country has seen, Mercedes ‘Sibanda’ has been unveiled.

The occasion was an initiative by Bosso legends & former players led by Cosmas Zulu. pic.twitter.com/vYvWd3z9GD

— Highlanders F.C (@HighlanderBosso) September 26, 2021

Speaking at the ceremony Sunday, former Bosso coach and club legend Cosmas Tsano Zulu exulted in Sibanda’s free kick taking prowess.

“No player in this country could shoot those booming shots like Rambo. Is there any player who can pack shots like Rambo?

“So many are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them. Ladies and gentlemen, that’s the man lying here. Rest in peace Rambo,” he said.

Rambo, a hilarious character, would not hesitate to pack thunderous shots straight into opponents’ walls, often leaving those forming the walls ducking the  thunderbolts.

Bulawayo provincial Minister of State Honourable Judith Ncube, Mayor Solomon Mguni, deputy Mayor Mlandu Ncube, long time Bosso benefactor Tshinga Dube, Bosso President Ndumiso Gumede and former chairman Peter Dube graced the occasion.

Jennifer Hough, the woman who accused Nicki Minaj’s husband Kenneth Petty of rape in 1994, has poured out about being pestered and offered a ‘bribe’ by the couple to recant her past allegations towards the former jailbird.

Hough, now 43, appeared together with her lawyer on The Real Wednesday in a comprehensive interview saying she’s ‘tired of being afraid’ of alleged harassment by both Minaj and Petty, past and present.

The appearance came on the heels of Hough, 43, filing a suit against the couple in New York last month, accusing them of harassment, witness intimidation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Hough in the suit also named Petty specifically for sexual assault, over the September 16, 1994 attack, according to TMZ.

‘I felt like the actions that were taken in regards to this whole situation, have put me in a different type of fear at my age now,’ Hough said on the show. ‘It was wrong. And I don’t want to be afraid anymore, so the only way not to be afraid is to continue to speak up.’

Hough, who appeared with her lawyer Tyrone A. Blackburn, said that she filed the $500,000 suit against the couple in a move to make clear ‘they were wrong’ in their interactions with her.

She spoke about the rape incident

Hough said she was 16 when she was walking alongside Petty and that ‘before you know it, he was grabbing a hold of my jacket.

‘I felt something in my back so I just assumed there was a gun,’ she said. ‘And I started walking. And I’m pleading with him the whole way, trying to understand what he wants.’

She explained the details of the alleged sexual assault, as she said Petty told her that she ‘knew what he wanted’ prior to the attack.

‘I didn’t know why it didn’t dawn on me to like really fight,’ she said on the show. ‘I just held on to my pants and he held my arms down and squeezed the sides of my stomach so hard. I let go and as soon as I let go he grabbed my pants. It was like a tug of war and after a while I just got tired.’

Hough said Petty ‘stood in the mirror and beat his chest’ following the attack, after which she told a guard at a nearby school, who contacted police, leading to Petty’s arrest at the house.

Petty’s conviction forced Petty to register as a sex offender, but he failed to do so in the state of California when he moved there with Minaj, and he was arrested in March 2020.  Mailonline.

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