Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture says the ailing ceremonial home of domestic football Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre, will undergo a structural assessment next week.
The ministry’s spokesperson Macmillan Mwale said in an interview on Thursday that the outcome of the assessment will determine whether the facility is safe to continue hosting matches.
He said engineers from the Department of Buildings (DOB) will conduct the assessment on the 71-year old facility constructed during the colonial era.
“Decisions will be made based on the outcome of a report after the assessment from the DOB,” he said.
On why the facility will undergo an assessment 14 years after it was condemned by engineers from the same department, Mwale said: “The last assessment was conducted long time back and a lot has happened since them; hence, the need for a fresh assessment.”
During the previous assessment in 2012, engineers established that all the stands on the eastern side, except one, had developed serious cracks and were recipe for disaster.
However, Mwale has said in the meantime, the stadium will continue to host elite matches once inspected and cleared by Football Association of Malawi (FAM) which barred it for failing to meet minimum requirements.
He said: “What we are saying is that currently, there is no alternative as the only other playable venue in Blantyre is Mpira Stadium whose capacity is small.
“So, as we await completion of the Soche Stadium, which is at 75 percent completion rate as well as a report from the Department of Buildings, Kamuzu Stadium can continue to host matches.”
Mwale said in the long-term, the plan is to construct a new stadium in Blantyre.
In an interview with Weekend Nation before being voted back into power President Peter Mutharika vowed to construct a new stadium in Blantyre once re-elected, saying: “Kamuzu Stadium is too old and the plans are still there for a new one as well as in Mzuzu.”
Meanwhile, Mwale has said the stadium’s management has not yet asked FAM to inspect the facility.
Football analyst Charles Nyirenda hailed government for the decision to have another assessment.
“That structure is too old and has outlived its lifespan and continuing to host matches there without a thorough assessment is a big risk and if the report recommends closure, the ministry should abide by that,” he said.
When engineers condemned the stadium in 2012, government, through the ministry, reacted swiftly by closing the facility.
This was after world football governing body Fifa had banned it from hosting international matches for similar reasons.
But months later, some fans started pushing for the facility’s reopening with suggestions that the affected stands should be cordoned off.
After some resistance, the ministry gave in and the stadium reopened after the stands were barricaded.
But there have been instances when fans defy the order and go beyond the cordoned off areas to occupy the upper areas of the stands.
Asked on who would be responsible in the event of a tragedy, Mwale said: “Obviously government as these [public stadiums] are just certified and not insured.”
