By Ibrahim Karim Bangura (Tanko)
The Confederation of African Football (CAF), has imposed a ban on Sierra Leone’s National Stadium from hosting international matches. According to CAF, the national stadium in Freetown is unfit to host international matches, because the stadium lacks adequate facilities to match international standards.
The stadium has been in existence since 1978 and has been a center for all major activities happening in the country. However, Sierra Leone played their home matches against Nigeria, Guinea Bissau etc., in their Afcon Qualifiers on a different soil, this year; the decision by CAF forced SLFA to secure a neutral venue for the National side to play her games.
In 1992, the Federation de International Football (FIFA) suspended the stadium for one year as a result of overcrowding. Later in March 2008, the same stadium was banned by FIFA due to poor dressing rooms and substandard pitch of play. So far, officials from the Ministry of Sport are yet to release a statement reacting and giving hope to sports lovers as to when will CAF ban ends. The hope for Sierra Leoneans looks slim as renovation on the stadium becomes so slow. But many Sierra Leoneans have taken to social media supporting the decision of CAF and calling on the government to improve on the stadium facility.