Zimbabwe: Stadium Decay Overshadow PSL Opener As Harare Mayor Mafume Blames Journalists for Destroying Rufaro Stadium Reputation

The Castle Lager Premier Soccer League (PSL) continues to be haunted by a lack of investment in football facilities from local authorities and the government.

As the 2026 season kicked off over the weekend, the decay of football stadiums overshadowed the opening matchday fixtures, after the PSL had to reschedule the match between TelOne and Dynamos due to a waterlogged pitch at Ascot Stadium.

The rescheduled encounter was played on a muddy pitch on Sunday after the PSL gave the green light for the match to go ahead following heavy rain.

The Ascot Stadium fiasco was not an isolated incident, as Gibbo Stadium was also exposed, with the match between Manica Diamonds and Simba Bhora being played on a waterlogged pitch.

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This was a blow to football fans, who now have to contend with newly increased gate charges, which have risen from US$3 to US$5 for the cheapest ticket, while being exposed to the deteriorating standards of the stadiums.

Rufaro Stadium, for the umpteenth time, exposed its unsuitability for top-flight local football.

Some ablution facilities were blocked with waste overflowing, posing health risks and ruining the matchday experience for fans.

Despite attempts to renovate the stadium by Jacob Mafume and the City of Harare, the stadium has not improved and may get worse as it is scheduled to host three matches every weekend.

Already, the Rufaro Stadium pitch is not in good condition despite earlier promises by Mafume to address some of the facility's shortfalls.

Responding to videos circulating on social media about the poor ablution facilities, Jacob Mafume apportioned blame to the sports media for "destroying the reputations" of Rufaro Stadium.

"It will be sorted. The PSL have asked that we hold three matches this weekend, which we did. I am always surprised that sports journalists are the first to try to destroy the reputations of the institutions where they work. All others had one match and struggled," said Mafume.

Rufaro Stadium is used as the home ground for Dynamos, FC Hunters, Herentals, CAPS United and Scottland.

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