The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture says it has finalised working on areas that led to Football Association of Malawi (FAM) barring Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre from hosting elite matches.
The closure of the facility led to the postponement of the FDH Premiership launch last week following an impasse between FAM and the Super League of Malawi (Sulom) on the state of the stadium.
But in an interview yesterday, the ministry’s spokesperson Macmillan Mwale said: “Works on the scoreboard, technical benches and sanitation facilities have been finalised.”
However, he said they are not in a hurry to invite FAM to inspect the facility.
Civil Service United at Kamuzu Stadium. | Nation
“We will probably do that next week just to be on the safe side,” said Mwale.
FAM operations director Gomezgani Zakazaka said they will wait for communication from the facility owners.
“Once we get an invitation, we will proceed to inspect the stadium to see if they have indeed done the works as advised and then come up with a report to be submitted to the FIB [First Instance Body] for its perusal,” he said.
FAM also demanded a structural assessment of the ailing stadium, but Mwale said the issue would be dealt with at a later stage as it requires experts’ input.
According to a letter from FAM competitions and club licensing manager manager Clement Kafwafwa, the association listed five areas that needed to be worked on.
They included blocked toilets in the VIP section, vandalised and stolen toilet seats in the open stands, sub-standard and damaged substitute benches, broken toilet facilities in the dressing rooms and a non-functional scoreboard.
Reads the letter: “These shortcomings pose significant concerns in terms of safety, hygiene and match operations, thereby rendering the facility unsuitable for elite competitions at this time.
“You are, therefore, requested to urgently address the highlighted issues. A follow-up inspection will be conducted upon completion of the necessary remedial works.
“We look forward to your prompt action to ensure compliance with the required standards.”
During a press conference last Sunday in Blantyre, FAM president Fleetwood Haiya said the decision to bar the stadium from hosting matches was made in the interest of all stakeholders, including fans, sponsors and clubs.
“We want to protect the lives of the fans as well as the interests of the sponsor and government,” he said.
The assessment by structural engineers in 2012 established that most of the stands on the eastern side were in bad shape and had developed cracks which were a recipe for disaster.
However, the facility was reopened months later following pressure from some football fans.
The status of the stadium sparked controversy that led to the postponement of the FDH Bank Premiership launch event and opening match between Mighty Wanderers and Karonga United last Saturday after FAM insisted that the facility was not approved to host matches.
A statement from FDH Bank plc said as a sponsor, they were deeply concerned and disappointed with the recent events surrounding the postponement of the official sponsorship launch.
“The unfortunate impasse between Sulom and FAM undermines the commercial viability of our partnerships and negatively impacts FDH Bank plc brand image. In respect of the bove, FDH Bank plc has immediately suspended all sports-related sponsorships and activities pending review.”
