WE, for a long time, have been made to believe that all sorts of football stadiums would be built in Zimbabwe.
If what we were told was true, Zimbabwe would not be crying about the shortage of stadiums in this country.
First, we were told that a state of the art stadium would be constructed by the City of Harare, just next to High Glen Shopping Centre.
Then came news that the government would be constructing another stadium adjacent to the National Sports Stadium where there's now a residential area.
This was followed by news that business mogul Phillip Chiyangwa would be building a stadium whose model was circulated throughout the country.
Some of us knew that — although very rich — Chiyangwa did not have the financial resources to erect a stadium of such magnitude.
Now we are being told that prophet Walter Magaya is about to construct a stadium resembling that of English Championship side, Swansea.
Yes, Magaya already has a stadium that the Zimbabwe national team used for its training sessions in the past but that stadium is not fit to host Castle Lager Premier Soccer League football.
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His own Premiership side, Yadah uses Gibbo Stadium in Triangle or Mandava Stadium in Zvishavane as its home ground following the closure of the National Sports Stadium.
Just like what happened to the Chiyangwa model, the Magaya type of dream stadium has been widely circulated throughout the country.
From our experience, with the City of Harare, the government of Zimbabwe and later on Chiyangwa we will believe Magaya only when the stadium has been constructed.
We, of course, do not doubt his financial resources, but what we doubt is his financial ability to construct a stadium of such financial demands.
As Magaya soldiers on, it is also time to ask Chiyangwa where he now is with his stadium project or else it was just one of those gimmicks to get publicity.
One newspaper reader jokingly reminded us that the story is not about people threatening to demonstrate but that they have demonstrated.
The story is not about Magaya to construct a stadium but about Magaya having constructed a state-of-the art stadium .
We cannot waste acres of space on something that is not yet there but something that is there or something that has already laid down its foundation.
However, should the Magaya project turn out to be true, it would be good for a nation that does not have a stadium fit enough for its own national team.
As things stand right now, Zimbabwe’s Warriors are in danger of playing their home matches in a foreign land due to this stadium crisis.
The Africa Nations Championships or Chan are less than a month away but there is nothing serious happening at the National Sports Stadium while Rufaro Stadium is thousands of kilometers away from being complete.
Whatever happens to the two stadiums, we only hope that the Magaya project would be a success and not one of those much talked about projects gone by.
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