By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
President of the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA), Isha Johansen, has said the installation of the artificial turf at the Kenema Town Field would start in the next two weeks.
Johansen made the statement during the association’s latest congress in Kenema over the weekend.
“Within the next two weeks we will start work in Kenema on the artificial turf. And Kenema will also have perhaps the best artificial turf in Africa,” Johansen said.
Following her announcement, Johansen’s statement was confirmed by the Head of Projects and Development at FIFA, Solomon Mudenge.
Mudenge was present in Kenema to witness the congress on behalf of FIFA.
“Yes, I stand to confirm that work will commence in two weeks. We’ve been to the site, the materials are there. It's jus remobilization that needs to be done and they will be on site to commence work in the next two weeks,” Mudenge said.
The work on the pitch has been delayed due to bureaucratic bottle necks between the Government of Sierra Leone and the contractors.
The project which was scheduled to start last year has been delayed for over six months. Materials for the project had been delivered to the pitch where they have spent months in the open.
The pitch is home to the district’s only premier league club, Kamboi Eagles. When work commences, this means the team will have to move their games to another venue.
The closest venue that has the approval of the Competitions Department at the FA is the Bo mini stadium.
The Secretary General of the Kenema District Football Association, David Samu told Politico that the installation of the pitch would boost the profile of football in the country.
“As you can see, Kamboi Eagles have been playing here and look how we have been performing,” he said.
Kamboi Eagles is currently top of the league with 16 points.
When the installation is complete, this will be the second artificial turf to be installed in the Eastern region of the country.
Neighboring Kono District already has one.
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