USE BREAK TO RENOVATE STADIUMS - CAF

MBABANE – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has called upon its members to renovate stadiums during this coronavirus era.

This was said by CAF president Ahmad Ahmad in his address in the August edition of the organisation’s newsletter. “Clubs should align with international standards regarding sports facilities. CAF has called for the repairs to the various stadiums which must be ‘of high quality’ before the relaunch of the football activities,” said Ahmad.

He further said in case of non-approved infrastructure, clubs would be forced to travel to other cities or countries to play their matches.
“The suspension of activities therefore presents itself as a special occasion to carry out renovation and standardisation work,” said the CAF president. Currently, Somhlolo National Stadium, which was deemed unfit to host CAF international tournament, is under renovations. Mavuso Sports Centre, which was the only stadium given the green light by CAF to host international games has been turned into a COVID-19 quarantine facility.

repercussions

He also highlighted that if the current competitions have suffered the repercussions of the pandemic with an end clap expected in October, the 2020-2021 seasons should respect the normal course defined in the regulations of CAF interclub competitions.
The president said the Organising Committee for Interclub Competitions & Management of Club Licensing discussed the end of the season and started thinking about the next one.

“At the end of this act, preparations around the new deadlines will be initiated with the teams selected for the preliminary phase of the two tournaments,” he said.
He also pointed out that in its 27-page document titled ‘CAF Guidelines to Resume Football in Africa’, emphasis was placed on the health of the main stakeholders (players, officials, fans and partners) as an essential component, which should constitute the basis of any decision regarding the reintroduction of football activities and their development.

guidelines

“These conditions imply an effective medical assessment, guidelines for training sessions, disinfection of sports facilities and strict compliance with preventive measures that will be applied at the end of the season and continued the following season,” he said.

He also disclosed that regarding the format of both tournaments, CAF Director of Competitions Samson Adamu reassures that it remained unchanged.
“However, to get an overview of the participating teams, it will be necessary to wait for the decision of the various Member Associations (MAs), who for the most part have ended their season while others have started a recovery in order to close the current season and determine the representatives at CAF competitions,” he said.

competition

Besides, the introduction of a new club competition, namely the CAF Women’s Champions League in 2021, will undoubtedly bring new colours to the competitions calendar.
Reached for comment, Eswatini Football Association(EFA) Marketing and Communications Officer Muzi Radebe referred all questions to the CEO. The CEO was unreachable on his mobile phone.

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