The head of stadium inspections of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Muhammad Feizal Sidat declared Monday in Ouagadougou that there are many things to review in the renovation of the 4 stadium August he visited.
“For the path ahead, we must take one step back and two or three forward. We will now work together (Government, ministry and federation) for success. To be honest, there is still a lot to do in this stadium,” declared CAF inspector Muhammad Feizal, after leaving an audience on Monday with Burkina Faso Prime Minister Apollinaire Kyelem de Tambèla.
The CAF inspector explained that some aspects of the renovation remain to be modified to comply with the specifications.
“For example, there are the locker rooms for local matches, but also for international matches,” he said.
“The international changing rooms are located in the stand opposite the main stand, meaning players have to walk across the entire pitch. Even the press conference room (current: editor's note) is placed in a side which is not easy to access for the players. The press box is placed in the same area as the VVIP and VIP officials. It is not like that. In modern stadiums, there is a place dedicated to the press, well secured, with the following amenities,” he insisted.
The CAF mission even wanted the Burkinabè authorities to “guarantee that the people working on the renovation of the August 4 stadium are qualified. Because it's not like a house. There are specificities with which we must be careful.”
Positive points nonetheless
The head of professional football at CAF, responsible for stadium inspections for the various competitions, on the other hand appreciated the quality of the “headquarters”. “This complies with CAF requirements,” he said.
Muhammad Feizal recalled that CAF is very demanding regarding the quality of infrastructure, since the arrival of new leadership in the management team of the supreme body of African football. “Standards have been raised in terms of infrastructure,” he mentioned.
The CAF inspector also appreciated the Ziniaré stadium which he visited. “In Ziniaré there is great potential: beautiful, well-established lawn. But there are things to do on the structural part,” he appreciated.
“We have a policy and a perspective of not only being dependent on the August 4 stadium. Our objective is not to remain locked up at the August 4 stadium but to open up perspectives so that our other clubs and our other teams can play at home,” reacted the Burkinabè Minister in charge of Sports, Boubacar Savadogo.
The president of the Burkinabè Football Federation, Lazare Banssé, present at this hearing, deplored the lack of consultation.
“The mistake that was made was that the consultation was missed. From the start, in the architectural plans, it would have been necessary to work in close collaboration with the Federation, CAF and FIFA. This original sin that we are paying for today, there are non-conformities noted. With the report he will make, we will rectify the situation,” he promised.
The CAF inspection mission which visited the August 4 stadium, the municipal stadium, the Naba Baogho stadium in Tanghin and the Ziniaré stadium, finished the work this Wednesday August 30, 2023.
She will write to the Burkinabè Football Federation with a detailed report of the situation.
The August 4 stadium has been under renovation for almost four years. Since then, Burkina Faso (national teams and clubs) can no longer host home matches due to the lack of a stadium approved by CAF and FIFA.
Source: Burkina Information Agency