Fungai Muderere
NICKNAMED “Emagumeni”, Barbourfields Stadium is one of Zimbabwe’s most iconic football stadia. Located in Zimbabwe’s second largest city of Bulawayo and with a crowd carrying capacity of 25 000, the co-ordinates of this grass-surfaced theatre of football dreams read 20°07?51?S 28°34?11?E.
It’s just a short bus ride from Bulawayo city centre and it’s a must-visit for all football fanatics and in one of his yesteryear hits titled “Angila Mali’’ one of Zimbabwe’s legendary musicians, Lovemore Majaivana, paid tribute to the home of football.
Since the National Sports Stadium was constructed with the aid of the Chinese, Barbourfields Stadium and its sister, Rufaro Stadium, have played second fiddle to the colossal football arena situated in the heart of Harare.
The National Sports Stadium has hosted all important international football matches involving the Zimbabwe national team.
This is a mockery to football considering the fact that Barbourfields Stadium was one of the arenas that used football to protest against the racist Rhodesian government before independence.
That said Emagumeni has played host to a numerous number of international matches that include the 1991 Highlanders versus Kenya’s Go Mahia Champion of Champions duel, the 1995 All Africa Games tie between the Methembe Ndlovu and Alois Bunjira-inspired Zimbabwe Under-23 team and Guinea.
19 years ago, on 27 August to be precise, Barbourfields Stadium was the venue where the Warriors clinched their first ever Cosafa Cup after they beat Lesotho 3-0. Zimbabwe won 6-0 on aggregate after a similar score-line in Lesotho. Luke Petros, Benjani Mwaruwari and Robson Chisango scored at Emagumeni on a famous day for Zimbabwean football.
The Bulawayo City Council-built stadia is not below inviting in the occasional international guest. Mohamed Aboutrika, a retired Egyptian professional footballer who played as a second striker and an attacking midfielder for Al Ahly and Egypt national team, once kicked a ball around deep in the bowels of Barbourfields Stadium. El Magico”, “Amir El Qolob” (prince of hearts) and “Arab’s Zidane” is a national icon in Egypt and one of Africa’s greatest players.
He was part of Al Ahly team that did duty against Highlanders on 4 March 2007 in a Caf Champions League tie that ended nil- all.
Back home, our own legends who have not only played but dazzled at Barbourfields Stadium include the Ndlovu brothers — Madinda, the late Adam and Peter Ndlovu, Douglas Mloyi, Peter “Oxo” Nkomo, Archieford Chimutanda, Rahman Gumbo, George Shaya, Moses Chunga, Wilfred and William Mugeyi, Roderick Muganhiri, Brenna Msiska and John Mbidzo.
As if this not enough, the likes of Moses Moyo, Ephraim Chawanda, Edson “Sugar” Muguyo, Andrew Kadengu, Joseph Machingura, and Henry McKop are some of the country’s yesteryear greats that share a long and dramatic history with the stadium as it provided them with a podium to shine in Zimbabwe Saints colours.
Now football is set to return home like the biblical prodigal son as Caf recently banned the National Sports Stadium and Rufaro Stadium for not meeting the required standards to host international matches. The playing surfaces were condemned and changing, medical and media rooms were described as not fit for purpose.
Only Barbourfields Stadium has been certified fit to host international matches in the country by Caf.
“Following Caf stadium inspections last month, Mandava Stadium and NSS failed to meet minimum requirements to host Caf matches. Consequently, they have been removed from the list of homologated stadiums. Caf have also exceptionally authorised Barbourfields to host Caf matches,” Zifa communications manager Xolisani Gwesela said in a brief statement.
During the inspection, South Africa-based Caf grounds inspector, Kabelo Bosilong looked at the field of play, dressing rooms, access areas, medical and media facilities as well as floodlights. Bosilong also looked at the state of accommodation facilities in surrounding hotels and lodges, among a host of other critical areas.
The Warriors’ Afcon qualifiers resume in August next year, the Fifa World Cup qualifiers might begin much earlier and the national team will play home matches at Barbourfields Stadium unless some miraculous improvements are made at the National Sports Stadium to meet the minimum Caf requirements.
Thus the ball is in the court of the Bulawayo City Council. It is their job to ensure that Barbourfields will host international matches and the city fathers are confident that they can meet the Caf requirements. They are already in the process of hiring external expertise to work on recommendations of the Caf stadium inspection team.
10 unknown things about Barbourfields Stadium
1. Barbourfields Stadium was built sometime in the 1930s but development started to show up in early 1950.
2. The first contractors to fence Barbourfields did so at a cost of $ZW300 and this was considered too high.
3. The Barbourfields sports arena catered for both soccer and cycling races which were very popular at that time.
4. The first phase of grand stands proposed in 1960 was to seat about 1 500 spectators at a cost of $ZW54 000 but building the grandstand started in January 1961 and was completed in 1962.
5. In 1975 and 1976 two stands were erected on the western side of the Stadium at a cost of $ZW110 000 bringing the seating capacity to 18 000.
6. In March 1982 work on the grandstand commenced on the west side allowing for 12 bays of seating and the erection of additional toilets at a cost of $ZW172 000.
7. The contract for a further 16 bays of seating was at a cost of $ZW151 500 was awarded to LAK Construction in May 1984.
8. This was extended in August 1984 to provide another 7 bays bringing the total cost for the extensions up to $ZW260 000.
9. The stadium was named after Barbour, a former Mayor of the City of Bulawayo during the colonial period.
10. Barbour advanced the establishment of sporting facilities in the Native Township thus the sporting facility was named after him.
Caf stadium requirements:
1. Pitch condition must be improved and the surface must be green and marked clearly in white.
2. In-field goalposts must be easily removable and spare goalposts must be available for quick installation.
3. The two covered benches should be at pitch level.
4. For evening matches, the floodlights Lux capacity must be according to the Caf CL match requirements. A minimum 1 200 Lux should be provided all over the pitch, covering uniformly every area of the playing field.
5. A uniform signage system around the stadium to facilitate entry or exit of people. It also wants clear adequate signposts to guide spectators to their sectors.
6. Entry gates, exit gates and doors must be operational and similarly clearly indicated by signs which are universally understood.
7. Installation of stadium specific signage from media entrance to all the various facilities for the media.
8. Installation of signage around the medical facility and throughout the stadium to notify supporters.
9. Barbourfields Stadium, to add “five individual seated toilets” in the dressing rooms, a massage table in each dressing room, a tactical board (white board/flip chart with pens) as well as good ventilation or air-conditioning.
10. A doping room which must be near the teams’ dressing rooms and must be “inaccessible to any person that is not involved with the doping control process”. It must be equipped with a television set, a refrigerator equipped with non-alcoholic drinks, sealed mineral water bottles, waste paper bin for bottles, a ventilator and sufficient seating for at least eight people. The toilet area must be immediately next to the doping control room with direct private access.
11. Numbered bucket seats fixed to the floor at Barbourfields as well as a safety certificate from the concerned authorities in which they will set the permitted capacity for the stadium together with detailed terms and conditions that the stadium management must comply with in order to operate the stadium at its permitted capacity.
