US$10 to watch Warriors’ homecoming —ZIFA justifies fee as price of bringing football home
After spending over five years playing away from home, football fans in Zimbabwe will have to pay US$10 to watch the Warriors when they return home, a fee that has torched an outcry but necessary according to the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA).
For the first time since November 2021 when the Confederation of African Football (CAF) declared the National Sports Stadium and all local venues unfit to host international games, country’s senior men’s national team will play an international fixture at home, after the giant facility was given the green light.
The Warriors will finally play in front of their own fans on the 28th of this month against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in their opening home match of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.
That historic return has however been soured by the announcement that the cheapest ticket for the rest of the ground will cost US$10, a figure that has divided fans, with many arguing that it locks out the ordinary supporter who has waited over four years to see the Warriors at home, while others believe that football must be allowed to sustain itself.
Speaking on this week’s Fanzone podcast to explain the decision, ZIFA Chief Executive Officer Yvonne Manwa Mapika was frank about the difficult economics behind the decision and pleaded with supporters to understand the broader vision of what the association is trying to build.
“When you look at the broader vision of what we are doing, I know ten dollars seems a lot but we’re competing with a lot of the other entertainment in the industry right? We are also looking at what it costs for us to run that particular event so to speak, that match,” said Manwa-Mapika.
She explained that the biggest cost driver remains the logistics of assembling a largely foreign based squad, noting that the bill for flights alone runs into hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“So I think when you talk about charters, when you talk about just the cost of getting the bulk of our players come from out of the country so if you’re looking at a trip to Morocco from their bases to Morocco, charter to Harare and then back to their bases, it’s a lot of money, right,” she said.
Beyond logistics, Manwa Mapika revealed that ZIFA has also had to stabilise the dressing room by improving player welfare, a move that has ended years of boycotts and protests that used to haunt the Warriors camp before big games.
“And we also want to, I mean we’ve been in negotiations with the players I think for a long time, now you haven’t had issues where the players are protesting. We also have to pay something that makes sense to them,” she explained.
She further lifted the lid on the overall financial pressure the association is under, revealing that the budget for the next couple of games and future competitions that alone stretches into millions of dollars.
“So in the end when I tell you the budget for the next couple of games, it’s towards a two point something million for us to not just this game but for the competitions that we’re going to have to run throughout the rest until December. So it takes a lot of money to run a football association, to make sure that we compete and to compete at the best possible level,” said Manwa-Mapika.
The stadium that will host this long awaited return has itself undergone a major transformation after the Government of Zimbabwe, through Sakunda Holdings, gave the iconic National Sports Stadium a major facelift, works that ensured the facility met the minimum requirements and standards set by CAF to host international matches and therefore bringing to an end the sojourn where the association was playing home matches away from home.
The man tasked with leading the Warriors into this new era is new head coach Ramon Catala, who a few days ago announced a strong 24-man squad for the double header of AFCON qualifiers against Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo that blends experience, youth and a huge foreign contingent.
In goal, Catala has retained the trusted trio of Elvis Chipezeze from Magesi, Martin Mapisa from Hardrock and Nelson Chadya from Scottland, while the defence is headlined by Mamelodi Sundowns stalwart Divine Lunga, Lyngby BK defender Munashe Garananga, Ipswich Town’s Corbin Mthunzi and Sarajevo based Shane Maroodza, supported by Sheffield Wednesday prospect Sean Fusire, Scottland trio Emmanuel Jalai, Peter Muduhwa and Kevin Moyo and Liverpool youngster Isaac Mabaya who will be eager to make an impression on home soil.
The midfield engine room will be anchored by Wolves captain Marshall Munetsi and Reading’s Andy Rinomhota, joined by Scottland’s Abubakar Moffat, Panetolikos enforcer Marvellous Nakamba and SJK Seinajoki creative spark Prosper Padera, a department that offers both steel and guile.
Upfront, there is no shortage of firepower with Amazulu’s Thando Ngwenya, Wolves’ Tawanda Chirewa, KV Mechelen’s Bill Antonio, Marumo Gallants winger Daniel Msendami, Motherwell forward Tawanda Maswanhise, Hardrock striker Prince Dube and Aris Salonica’s Tino Kadewere all called up to provide the goals that could get the 2027 Afcon campaign off to a perfect start.
Manwa Mapika closed by appealing to the football family to see the bigger picture, insisting that the US$10 charge was arrived at after careful calculation and with the intention of keeping the game running sustainably while still filling the stadium.
“So we just want the fans, we want the football community to understand that it takes money to run the game. We want to make it as accessible as possible. We did all the maths, we understood what it means for the players to come, for the fans to come into the game and we want them to come,” added Manwa-Mapika.
RELATED STORY: Magwizi confident as Warriors begin road to AFCON 2027