Zimbabwe’s plan to host South Africa in Botswana for their Fifa World Cup qualifier on October 10 has hit a brick wall.
This is after the Botswana Football Association (BFA) indicated that they are using the same venue – Francistown Sports Complex – for their date against Uganda on 9 October.
This just a day before the scheduled encounter between the Warriors and Bafana Bafana.
That clash of dates contravenes FIFA regulations, which require that visiting teams be given access to match venues the day before a fixture.
Instead, Zimbabwe have now turned to South Africa.
The Zimbabwe Football Associating announced Tuesday that the match will now be played at Moses Mabhida in Durban.
Zimbabwe’s World Cup campaign is over after a torrid run that produced only four points from eight matches.
They are bottom of Group C without a win – only managing four draws.
And their initial decision to host Bafana in Botswana had been received with mixed reactions by football lovers across the Limpopo, who accused their neighbours of being ungrateful ‘tenants’.
Despite being a dead rubber for Michael Nees’ men, a fixture between these neighbours – commonly known as the battle of Limpopo – always carry significance.
The clash, whenever and wherever it is finally staged, will serve as both a test of Bafana Bafana’s momentum.
It is also a chance for Zimbabwe to reassert their footballing pride.
