Demba Ali Jawo, Former Information Minister
By. D. A. Jawo
There is no doubt that a majority of Gambians, particularly lovers of football, are quite eager to see the Independence Stadium get CAF approval so that our next home matches would be played here rather than in Morocco or anywhere else.
It is quite likely that the failure of the Scorpions to qualify for the forthcoming AFCON tournament in Morocco could be largely attributed to the fact that all our home matches were played outside the country, thus denying the boys the crucial home support that they needed.
While we have still not been given a genuine reason as to why the stadium failed twice to get CAF approval despite the millions of dalasi spent on its renovation, but certainly, lack of proper planning and consultation could have been some of those reasons. There is no doubt that if those in charge of the project had strictly followed the CAF guidelines rather than depending on their own judgements, not only would it have been ready by now, but we could have also saved a lot of the money spent on the project.
While the work so far done inside the stadium looks quite impressive despite the failure to meet some of the CAF requirements, but the same thing cannot be said about the situation outside the stadium perimeter fence. It is in such a messy condition and there is no doubt that if the CAF inspectors find the area as it presently is, they are most likely to again withhold their approval.
It is quite hard to understand why the stadium management would allow the surroundings of our only international stadium to look so dirty and dilapidated, with some areas virtually being turned into a rubbish dump. We certainly do not need to wait for CAF or anyone else to tell us that we should keep our facilities always clean and presentable.