BNSC refurbishes stadia
Local coaches, amongst them, the late Major David Bright and Orapa United’s Philmon Makwengwe have also voiced their disapproval of the state of the pitch, which has been likened to a potato field by many football experts. Molepolole Sports complex was closed following several calls for the facility to be refurbished with the turf considered unplayable by many football coaches.
The complex which is currently undergoing maintenance is set to be used by Botswana Football League ( BFL) to host games despite its unfinished state. “The refurbishment is not yet complete, what transpired is that, football officials expressed interest to use the pitch in its current state. It would have been nice if everything was completed but if they deem the pitch surface ‘ okay’ to play their matches then BNSC could not deny them, BFL is happy to use the pitch in its current state,” Botswana National Sports Complex ( BNSC) Chief Executive Officer, Tuelo Serufho responded.
It is reported that BNSC is still struggling to raise funds to purchase the artificial turf, something that has delayed the progress of refurbishing the stadium. Molepolole village has been struggling with water supply for the past two decades and one of the challenges of using Molepolole sports complex was the unavailability of water. “We have already awarded the contractor a tender to address the water problem in the stadium. The agreement is that they will use the facility without interfering or delaying the contractor. They have been advised to explore temporary solutions to address the water problem,” Serufho added. Plans are also underway to refurbish the national stadium following complaints forwarded to CAF regarding the state of the facility. “We have increased the number of restrooms as per the CAF requirements, we have also attended the screen ( monitor) which hasn’t been functioning, and it is now working. We are also working on making a decision on how to address the grass on the pitch. We are exploring two options; to rehabilitate the current grass, for example, increase sprinklers or alternatively put up a new grass. We are hopeful that before the end of the month, a decision should have been made. We want the stadium to be available by March,” BNSC CEO highlighted. BNSC is fast tracking the development of the stadium as they are looking to make the facility ready ahead of AFCON preliminary qualifies set for March. According to close sources, CAF officials are expected to visit the country before the end of this month and evaluate the state of the pitch, BNSC and BFA officials are hopeful that the stadium will be accredited to host CAF competitions.
Serufho further called on football supporters to take care of their facilities. Some BFL teams and players have complained about the heavy grass at Lobatse Sports complex, Serufho stated that they have attended the issue and are awaiting evaluation from CAF officials on whether their work meets the set standards.