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Sports Reporter—

HARARE City Council are consulting with football stakeholders as pressure mounts for them to remove the artificial turf at Rufaro which has been blamed for causing injuries to players because of its poor state.The stadium has been criticised after its standards deteriorated because of lack of maintenance.

The lifespan of the turf is between eight to 10 years after which it should be replaced.

But in 2014, the contractors who installed the artificial surface recommended the rejuvenation of the pitch and proper maintenance to make it comfortable to play on and avoid injuries to players.

The process involves the complete removal, thorough cleaning and re-laying of the turf.

The rejuvenation process is part of the maintenance which is supposed to be done on the pitch at least every three years.

But this has not been the case with Rufaro since the turf was installed in 2008.

Harare City Council acting corporate communications manager Michael Chideme said they have already taken their position on the matter but have to consult with their stakeholders.

“We are still consulting our stakeholders, the football stakeholders, ZIFA, the government and those are the stakeholders because as a council we had made the position that in the off-season we should remove the turf, so we are still consulting them.

“I think we had a position but we need to consult our stakeholders. The stakeholders have to agree. Our position is in the off-season we have to remove the artificial turf but we are still consulting our stakeholders over our decision,” said Chideme.

There have been concerns also over the maintenance of Rufaro and Gwanzura and Chideme said while they always carry out routine maintenance, they were looking for partners to upgrade the infrastructures.

“We always do routine maintenance of our infrastructure off-season and during the season because we have a vision of becoming world class.

“You need also to realise that as a City we are looking for partners in the development or in the upgrading of our stadiums to world class standards,” he said.