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CAF reverses approval, National Sports Stadium back on banned list

CAF reverses approval, National Sports Stadium back on banned list

Published

6 months ago

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Zimbabwe’s hopes of hosting international football at home have suffered another blow after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) reversed its earlier clearance of the National Sports Stadium (NSS).

The Harare venue, which had only recently been granted conditional approval to host preliminary CAF inter-club matches and youth qualifiers, has now been returned to the banned list. This means Simba Bhora’s CAF Confederation Cup fixture, previously scheduled for the NSS in September, may be forced to move outside Zimbabwe.

The reversal comes just months after CAF had allowed the stadium to stage Category 2 fixtures while upgrades continued. At the time, senior national teams like the Warriors and Mighty Warriors were still required to play their games abroad due to outstanding compliance issues.

Zimbabwe is not alone in this setback. CAF also struck off stadiums in Benin, Gambia, Niger, Sudan and Madagascar, joining a growing list of African nations without an approved home venue. Already, countries such as the Central African Republic, Djibouti, Eritrea, Guinea Conakry, Lesotho, Namibia, Sao Tome, Seychelles, Sierra Leone and Somalia have been forced to host “home” fixtures outside their borders.

The latest decision highlights CAF’s tough stance on stadium standards across the continent and underscores the ongoing infrastructure challenges facing African football.

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Football

Emirates FA Cup fifth round draw Results

The Emirates FA Cup fifth round draw has been made for the 2025-26 season, with the eight ties to be scheduled for the weekend of 7-8 March 2026.

Published

5 days ago

on

February 16, 2026

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FA Cup

The Emirates FA Cup fifth round draw has been made for the 2025-26 season, with the eight ties to be scheduled for the weekend of 7-8 March 2026.

Taking place ahead of Monday evening’s tie between Macclesfield and Brentford, the draw was made by Joe Cole and Karen Carney as clubs look to seal a place in the quarter-final.

Winning clubs in the fifth round will receive £238,500 from the competition prize fund for the 2025-26 season.

The final schedule for the fifth round will be confirmed in due course, following talks with clubs, broadcast partners and local authorities.

The final schedule for the fifth round will be confirmed in due course, following talks with clubs, broadcast partners and local authorities.

The Draw

1 Fulham v Southampton
2 Port Vale or Bristol City v Sunderland
3 Newcastle United v Manchester City
4 Leeds United v Norwich City
5 Mansfield Town v Arsenal
6 Wolverhampton Wanderers v Liverpool
7 Wrexham v Chelsea
8 West Ham United v Macclesfield or Brentford

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Football

Arsenal Beat Chelsea to Reach Carabao Cup Final

Arsenal secured their place in the Carabao Cup final after defeating Chelsea 1–0 in the second leg of the semi-final at the Emirates Stadium. The victory sealed a 4–2 aggregate win for the Gunners, booking their first domestic cup final appearance since 2020.

Published

3 weeks ago

on

February 3, 2026

By

Kai Havertz

Arsenal secured their place in the Carabao Cup final after defeating Chelsea 1–0 in the second leg of the semi-final at the Emirates Stadium. The victory sealed a 4–2 aggregate win for the Gunners, booking their first domestic cup final appearance since 2020.

The reigning Premier League leaders will face either Manchester City or Newcastle United in the final, scheduled for March 22, 2026, at Wembley Stadium.

Arsenal’s disciplined performance ensured they held off Chelsea’s late pressure, with the decisive goal in the 97th minute by Kai Havertz proving enough to send Mikel Arteta’s side through to a much-anticipated showdown at Wembley.

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Football

Nakamba Signs with Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday, a Championship (English second-tier) club, has signed Zimbabwe international Marvelous Nakamba on a deal until the end of the season after he was released by League One (English third tier) side Luton Town FC.

Published

3 weeks ago

on

February 2, 2026

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Sheffield Wednesday, a Championship (English second-tier) club, has signed Zimbabwe international Marvelous Nakamba on a deal until the end of the season after he was released by League One (English third tier) side Luton Town FC.

The club confirmed the latest development on their social media platforms.

Sheffield Wednesday are currently at the bottom of the table (24th place) with –7 points after 29 matches.

The Sky Bet Championship club was last year deducted 12 points for multiple breaches of EFL regulations relating to the payment of players.

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