The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has listed Bingu National Stadium among the facilities to undergo pre-inspection before they can be approved to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers.
The facility is among 17 stadiums in different countries that have been given the benefit of the doubt by the continental football governing body.
CAF has outrightly approved 67 stadiums across the continent to host the qualifiers.
The development means that should the stadium fail to make the grade after pre-inspection, the Flames will play their home matches in a foreign country.
But in an interview yesterday, FAM competitions and licensing manager Clement Kafwafwa said they are optimistic that the facility will pass the test.
“CAF’s focus during pre-inspection is on the state of the pitch. They insist on having a pitch that does not have bare patches.
“So, on our part, I would say we are 85 percent certain and we just have to work on a few areas.”
Kafwafwa said the pre-inspection will be conducted on June 29 and the submissions will be done two days later.
He said: “All inspections, evaluations, and approval decisions are conducted in accordance with the CAF stadium regulations.
“The pre-inspection will, therefore, enable us and the stadium management to jointly assess the facility and identify any outstanding areas requiring attention before the official CAF inspection request is submitted.”
In a separate interview, the stadium’s owners, Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, said they are ready for the exercise.
The ministry’s spokesperson MacMillan Mwale said: “We have received communication from FAM to that effect and we are doing some touch-ups. We are optimistic that the stadium will pass the test.
“Our major concern, though, are rising cases of theft and vandalism which are letting us down and we are calling on the public to help in keeping the stadium in good condition.”
The 2027 Afcon qualifiers will kick off in September and the Flames are in Group B alongside Egypt, Angola and South Sudan.
In 2021, the Flames played their 2022 World Cup home qualifying matches in South Africa because CAF banned the BNS for failing to meet international standards.
