Manchester City and Algeria star Riyad Mahrez could be heading for the Orlando Stadium‚ but it won’t be to play Orlando Pirates or Bafana Bafana.

Zimbabwe are due to host the Algerians in their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in the March international window‚ but have been barred from holding matches in their own country by the Confederation of African Football (Caf).

This follows a Caf inspection of their three main international venues‚ all of which fell short of the required standard as the country’s football continues to decline on and off the pitch in the face of Zimbabwe’s economic crisis.

The Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) are actively seeking a venue in neighbouring countries and according to reports have earmarked Orlando Stadium for the game.

This would make sense in that many of their players are based in South Africa‚ while Johannesburg is a major hub for flights from Europe‚ where the rest of their squad‚ and all the Algerians‚ will come from.

Johannesburg is also home to many Zimbabwean immigrants – two to three million are believed to live in South Africa.

“We have started the process to get a stadium and a letter is being dispatched to the South African Football Association (Safa)‚” Zifa spokesman Xolani Gwesela told the Centre for African Journalists (CAJ) News.

“The decision does not lie with us. Safa will advise what is available and then all logistics will be worked out from there.”

Gwesela added that Zifa had already given up trying to get one their stadia ready for the game.

“A media tribune‚ for example‚ cannot be fixed in two weeks. Fixing it would mean dismantling the structure but other issues like doping rooms and internet connectivity can be done. Gates need automation so really‚ it is unachievable in the short term‚” he said.

Zifa confirmed on Tuesday that all three of their main stadia – Barbourfields in Bulawayo‚ Mandava in Zvishavane and the National Sports Stadium in Harare – had failed inspection visits by Caf last November.

And they have done nothing in the interim to get them up to speed‚ with cash-strapped Zifa in no position to fund the work needed.

“In this moment we urge all stakeholders to work for a common cause for us to quickly right this wrong which takes away our sovereignty‚" Zifa said in a statement.

“We have been using stadiums which do not meet Caf and Fifa standards for a while now‚ but we need to put our heads together as a country to ensure that our stadiums are renovated to meet required standards.

“We are hopeful that everyone who has influence to expedite the process of bringing our teams back home will do their part.”

Bafana have drawn Zimbabwe in the World Cup qualifiers that get under way in October‚ but the fixtures and venues are yet to be released.