Botswana FA blames ZIFA after Zim trip costs ballooned

The Botswana Football Association (BFA) has blamed ZIFA and CAF after their costs for the Afcon qualifier against Zimbabwe ballooned by an extra P250 000 (approx. ZW$ 355 000) following a venue change.

The Warriors were supposed to host Botswana at Barbourfields Stadium in Bulawayo, but the match was moved to the National Stadium in Harare.

The BFA had created a small budget which would have seen their team travelling by road to Bulawayo. Following the venue change, the Zebras are now set to fly to Harare via Johannesburg for the Friday’s encounter.

“The shift has cost us over a quarter of a million (Pula), and even disrupted plans for our next game (against Algeria),” BFA general manager-football operations, Monnakgotla Mojaki told Mmegi Online.

“We are not happy with the way CAF and ZIFA (Zimbabwe Football Association) went about this. We have made an official complaint and protest to CAF. It was more of mind games than a genuine change.”

Meanwhile, the switch sparked controversy after the owners of Barbourfields Stadium, Bulawayo City Council (BCC) denied ZIFA’s claims that the match venue was changed over a faulty floodlight system.

The BCC said the FA’s decision to shift the game to Harare was based on other reasons.

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