Poor planning costs Zifa heavily
The Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) once again proved to the entire nation that they are the best when it comes to poor planning.
Over the years, Zifa has made classic boobs in the administration and running of national teams but Tuesday night’s events at the National Sports Stadium left a lot to be desired.
The Warriors were hosting the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in a crucial 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) Group G qualifier.
Last weekend, Zimbabwe travelled to Kinshasa where they beat the Leopards 1-2 to take control of the group.
Naturally, the return leg in Harare attracted a lot of attention from local football lovers because of the team’s good performance away from home.
Having advertised in the past week that the cheapest ticket for the game was going to be $3, Zifa on the 11th hour hiked gate charges to $5.
Many people were put off by this last-minute change and opted to watch the game at home on SuperSport.
If gate charges had remained at $3, Zifa could have realised a much bigger crowd.
Those fans not deterred by the price hike then endured a torrid time as they tried to gain entry into the venue on Tuesday night.
For some unknown reason, Zifa do not want to sell advance tickets, a development which created chaos outside the venue as long queues formed.
With most fans using electronic platforms to pay for their entry, the process was very slow due to the network signal challenges associated with POS machines and mobile money systems when so many people are trying to use the service at once.
In the end, fans broke down the huge gates and forced their way into the venue shortly after Khama Billiat had given Zimbabwe an early lead.
A significant number of people watched the match for free as a result with Zifa losing thousands in potential revenue.
People might get hurt or even lose their lives in the stampedes that ensued but luckily, the situation did not reach such levels.
Advance tickets eliminate these unnecessary hiccups. There are many local companies that can print forgery-proof tickets if Zifa is afraid of fraudsters.
Lastly, Zifa must secure a reputable technical sponsor for their national teams.
The Warriors were putting on an atrocious kit that is not even fit to be used by an Area Zone team at Chishawasha Grounds in Mbare. DailyNews
