Concerns have been raised about the condition of the pitch at Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo during a recent match between Enyimba of Aba and Egypt’s Al Masry.
Stakeholders were caught off guard by the pitch’s poor state, which hampered the flow of the game at the stadium.
A Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) official revealed that they have communicated with the Akwa Ibom State government regarding the urgent need to improve the facility, as it serves as the primary venue for international matches in the country.
For over two years, the Godswill Akpabio Stadium has been recognized as Nigeria’s only FIFA/CAF-approved venue for hosting international football events. It serves as the home ground for the Super Eagles and the NPFL club, Akwa United, and also hosts continental matches for Rivers United, Enugu Rangers, and Enyimba.
“We understand that the state government has a committee charged with ensuring the maintenance of the stadium. So, we want the committee to take a look at the football pitch and find solutions to the problem areas”, an NFF source told the Guardian.
“The problem requires expert touch to address before it gets out of hand. I don’t know if Julius Berger has experts in grass pitch maintenance, but there are many such experts in the country.”
In response to the concerns raised, Akwa Ibom State Football Association Chairman Samuel Umoh assured that maintenance work, including repairs to the pitch, has already begun.
He said, “Ordinarily, we would not have allowed Enyimba to use the stadium because it disturbed the contractor’s work, but we had to allow them because they had no alternative.
“Our state team, Akwa United, uses the same stadium and it is a problem because they have no alternative. But there is no cause for alarm as the contractor has assured us that all the bad areas of the stadium will be returned to normal after the work.”
While the state government contemplated temporarily closing the stadium for upgrades, they opted to continue operations to accommodate the ongoing football season.
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