The Mozambican national soccer team could host Uganda, for the fifth round of Group "G" of the World Cup-2026 Qualification, abroad, if there is no urgent intervention on the pitch of the Zimpeto National Stadium (ENZ) in the next few days.

According to the president of the Mozambican Football Federation (FMF), Feizal Sidat, who was speaking this Saturday (08) at a press conference on the balance of activities for 2024, at the moment the situation of the ENZ pitch is critical, so if Mozambique-Uganda were to take place in the next few days, the match would undoubtedly take place outside the national territory.

"I've been to the Zimpeto National Stadium and I have to confess that the pitch is bad and if nothing urgent is done in the next few days, it will fail again," he said.

Quoted by Challenge newspaperFeizal Sidat announced that an inspection team from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) would be coming in two weeks to assess the pitch of a stadium that has been banned since December 11.

"Urgent intervention is needed and these are huge sums. The Zimpeto Stadium is the property of the state, which we hope will take good care of it. The only problem with the ENZ that has led to it being banned by CAF is the pitch. There's no question of the turnstiles or the lighting, as has been widely talked about," Sidat clarified.

Mozambique and Uganda are scheduled to meet on March 17, at a venue yet to be announced after the ENZ was banned in December.

Still on the subject of infrastructure, Sidat called on the next government to continue with the project to build stadiums across the country, which, in addition to "Zimpeto", envisaged two more, one in the center and one in the north.

"We hope that the next government's five-year program will include projects for a stadium in the center and another in the north, both with a capacity for 20,000 people. These are projects that were designed during President Guebuza's administration and which were not continued. We believe that these stadiums would be an asset for our soccer," he said.

(Photo DR)