Hwange might be forced to reschedule their Caf Confederation Cup first round, first leg match against Al Amal Atbara from their home ground Colliery Stadium to Harare if they fail to charter a plane for the Sudanese team from the capital to Victoria Falls.
Hwange, through the Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa), early this month wrote to their Sudanese counterparts asking them to make arrangements for a direct flight to Victoria Falls Airport.
Read part of the letter from Zifa to Al Amal Atbara dated March 6: “Please be advised that the final destination for the El Amal delegation is Victoria Falls and you should make arrangements for a direct flight to Victoria Falls Airport or via Johannesburg, South Africa.”
However, in what appears to be a conspiracy by Sudanese teams to frustrate the locals clubs who they are meeting next weekend, El Amal turned down the proposal.
Instead, El Amal Atbara, though their national association yesterday wrote to Hwange informing them they would land in Harare on Thursday afternoon and would want the local team to charter them a plane to Victoria Falls.
“With reference to the above-mentioned subject, we would like to inform you that Al Amal Atbara club delegation will arrive in Harare on 22nd March at 1245hrs by Ethiopian Airways flight number 873. “It will be highly appreciated to contact Zimbabwe Football Association to arrange domestic flight from the capital to the concerned city in which the match will be played if the distance exceeds 200km according to the tournament regulations,” wrote Sudan Football Association secretary-general Magdi Shams Eldin.
But with the national airline Air Zimbabwe who services the local routes very erratic, Hwange could be left with one option, that of hiring a plane. Hwange secretary Burzil Dube was, however, still wearing a brave face yesterday, vowing the match would be staged at the Colliery Stadium.
“We know they are trying to frustrate us by making these demands, but something is being worked on. I can assure you the match will be played at the Colliery Stadium,” said Dube.
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El Merreikh, another Sudanese team, who are meeting FC Platinum in the Caf Champions League, first round first leg, are also making outrageous demands of their own, refusing to play at Mandava Stadium.
