Ebou Faye, the manager of Independence Stadium has clarified the decision taken by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
According to Manager Faye, CAF didn't impose a ban on the country's only international stadium which is under renovation after its latest inspection. He clarified that The Gambia is sanctioned to improve certain identified areas on its current work proposed by the preliminary inspector.
The Independence Stadium is currently being renovated with a staggering amount of over D100,000,000.
Mr. Faye, who is also the 2nd vice president of The Gambia Football Federation (GFF), was speaking in an interview regarding the state of the stadium's ongoing renovation work as well as CAF's decision.
"The independence stadium is not banned," he declared. "CAF just said that the September match cannot take place in The Gambia because work is still on. Work must be completed before they (CAF) were able to come and do the final inspection."
According to Mr. Ebou Faye, there is no mistake made on the current stadium renovation work. "What CAF representative, Muhammad Sidat, did when he visited was to propose certain things and pass certain things."
"The areas he proposed that we expand or move are the player tunnel, media tribune and center, press conference room, dressing room floor and footlights. These are things we are working on as we have already identified places. It was supposed to be done within two-and-half-weeks by the time he said it. This is why CAF deemed it necessary that we cannot complete the work within that period."
The Stadium Manager revealed that the things mentioned by Mr. Sidat were not specific in the CAF document, noting that the document just related that there must be a press tribune but "it doesn't indicate where it should be."
"When the preliminary inspector came in July and from that day to 27 August would have been two and a half weeks. As the stadium is under construction, and certain areas are identified to be improved, the competition department deemed it that we cannot complete the work within that short period. This is why they said we cannot play our match but not banned as mentioned by many."
Mr. Faye described the current ongoing renovation as very important, adding that he had been raising this issue for so many years.
"Since the stadium was built in 1983, there hadn't been any major rehabilitation work. Stadiums have moved. If you go around the world, you will see how stadiums are structured. The fittings and features are totally different."
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He further said that he had been raising these issues, even when CAF first wrote to the GFF about the stadium around 2014, adding that they also raised it with the government through the ministry but nothing was done.
"We just need to thank the current minister and the government for raising such an amount for the renovation, realising that it is needed to have a very good stadium worthy to play CAF A matches."
As the stadium manager, he said he usually shares any communication sent by CAF regarding the stadium with the ministry.
"We were lucky during the last Afcon qualifiers by CAF to give us a temporary approval at that time because they were not imposing the sanction. But after the Afcon tournament in Cameroon, they (CAF) started imposing the sanction strictly on countries affected. This is why it affected us and when the government looked at it, they deemed it necessary that they must do it."
He confirmed that the stadium has to be completed in August and September for the November games.
"October will be the next period that The Gambia has to inform CAF to come and inspect and also decide their home venue. So, we have only two months to make sure all of these things are completed."
