By Alpha Abu
The Chairman of Bo Rangers Football and also Team Manager of Leone Stars, Babadi Kamara has welcomed FIFA’s recent clean bill of health that was given after an inspection of the pitch at the newly-built modern Southern Arena sports facility in Bo.
Speaking to Politico last evening, Babadi said the pitch was exhaustively examined to assess various areas such as its shock absorption, the goal posts, dimension of the field and the drainage system.
However he said there are other areas within the facility that have to be certified and these include the Players Dressing Rooms and other rooms for Match Commissioners, Referees, Ball Boys and Anti-doping tests which he stressed “have to be inspected by CAF and FIFA before being graded.
He said all the necessary materials needed for those sectors of the stadium will be arriving in the country 6th April and once they are installed, the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) will conduct an assessment tour after which the respective international football bodies FIFA and CAF will be contacted for evaluation.
After passing the test, then will the stadium open its gates for the hosting of both local and international matches.
Kiwa ISA Sport B.V. from the Netherlands, which specialises in artificial pitch- testing conducted the exercise as mandated by the world football governing body.
Banbadi has been praised within and outside Sierra Leone for his support to the development of football in Sierra Leone.
Siaka Stevens Stadium, the country’s then only facility that hosted local and international matches has seen several refurbishments in the face of perennial disrepair over the years. It is presently undergoing a two-year extensive rehabilitation after it was declared unfit by FIFA and the continent’s football regulatory outfit CAF, to host international matches because of its dilapidated state.
The country’s men’s national team Leone Stars had to host their games in other countries because of the poor state of the Siaka Stevens Stadium.
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