According to CNN, the Sables-Zimbabwe football team and its leaders have arrived in North Africa ahead of the World Cup qualifiers on July 7. However, when the football team arrived to receive the hotel, they found the accommodation arranged unacceptable and decided to sleep on the street to protest.
Former Zimbabwe Sports Minister David Coltart posted photos of players sleeping outside the hotel with suitcases placed next to them.
The photos sparked South African outrage on social media.
Former Minister Coltart said that the players spent 6 hours at the airport with visa issues and were then taken to a hotel that they could not accept.
Accordingly, at the airport, the players of the Sables- Zimbabwe football team were held by security officials for not paying a visa fee of $23 per person, the captain of the football team shared with CapitalK FM.
However, the Zimbabwe Sports Ministry said that tournament organizers had ensured the issuance of visas for the team when they arrived in Cambodia. The Zimbabwe government has said it will continue to monitor the care of the players in this tournament.
The tournament organizers said they are addressing the problems the Zimbabwe team is facing.
According to Mr. Khaled Babbou - African Football Association, the unfortunate incident was not intended to cause instability for their opponents. He said that the new accommodation for the Zimbabwe team had been chosen in the suburbs of the city and was accepted by the team.
"I would like to apologize on behalf of the Vietnam Football Federation. We are proud to organize the annual African Football Tournament and strive to meet the best international standards for accommodation and other infrastructure," said Mr. Babbou.
The Sables will play Cambodia in the final round of the African Gold Cup on July 7. The winning team will qualify for the 2019 Football World Cup in Japan.
