Sports Minister adamant on Kamuzu Stadium reopening

Labour, Youth, Sports and Manpower Development Minister Francis Kasaila insists the Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre will reopen by the start of the 2018 soccer season, although the installation of the artificial turf is yet to start.

While inspecting rehabilitation works at the facility on 26 January this year, Kasaila assured the soccer fraternity that the facility will reopen its doors latest by April.

“We believe all major works will be done by mid-March, latest being early April when we will write FIFA to come and inspect the stadium for approval,” he said

But with exactly a month left before the start of the 2018 TNM Super League season, the major work at the site which is the installation of the turf, has not yet commenced reportedly due to persistent rainfall in the city, thereby creating serious doubts among Blantyre based football teams on the timely completion of the work and subsequent reopening of the stadium.

Kasaila however remains adamant that the work will not spill beyond the scheduled period.

“We were advised by the contractor (ACT Global) to delay the turf installation because of the unfavourable soil conditions in January and February. Tthe contractor recommended that the work should start somewhere in March because by then the rains are no longer that heavy, so as it is our programme has not changed,” he said.

An independent observer knowledgeable in turf installation told Malawi24 that in the absence of heavy rains, the work can take a maximum of six weeks.

“For the Kamuzu Stadium it’s more like repairing the turf rather than starting afresh, so that cannot exceed six weeks. But all that has to depend on the weather,” he said with a condition of anonymity.

Malawi24 can confirm that an official from the US based firm ACT Global will arrive in the country this weekend to possibly sanction the start of the work, based on weather conditions.