Yadah Football Club’s home ground, The Heart Stadium has resumed hosting Premier Soccer League (PSL) matches.
The newly-built stadium, which is located in Waterfalls, Harare, last hosted a PSL match a fortnight ago when the Miracle Boys beat Chicken Inn 2-1.
In their next home game, the Walter Magaya-owned Yadah Stars hosted CAPS United at Rufaro Stadium on 11 May.
According a NewZimbabwe.com, the stadium was suspended by the ZIFA’s First Instance Board due to the unavailability of toilets amid reports that the football venue relied on mobile toilets.
However, NewsDay cited a Yadah official as saying there were fears regarding the Heart Stadium’s capacity to hold a large number of fans given that CAPS United is arguably among the three most supported clubs in the country’s topflight. Said the official:
We built the Heart Stadium for such occasions and when we are deprived of hosting such big games, then it defeats the whole purpose. We had made all the logistics to stage the big game.
We are used to handling huge crowds. We are obviously disappointed that they took away the opportunity from us. We were robbed of our home advantage.
We were surprised to read in some sections of the media that we do not have enough toilets. We have enough public toilets in the stadium and around the whole Yadah complex.
Those who have been at the stadium know and can testify. We have better toilets than almost all, if not all the stadiums, in the country.
The Stadium’s capacity currently stands at 5,000, yet a paltry crowd of 1,800 fans paid to watch the Yadah versus CAPS United match at Rufaro Stadium.
PSL spokesperson Kudzai Bare told NewsDay that they thought it would be safer to move the match to Rufaro Stadium. She said:
We just looked at the magnitude of the game, and after consultation with our stakeholders, we just felt it is safer for the match [against Caps United] to be played at Rufaro Stadium. As far as we are concerned, Heart Stadium has not been suspended by the FIB.
Yadah lost the “home away from home” match against Makekepeke 0-1 courtesy of a William Manondo injury-time goal.
Yadah’s midweek home fixture against FC Platinum on Wednesday (today) has been scheduled for the Heart Stadium.
