The CAF professor was on Saturday invited by The Gambia Government for preliminary inspection and recommendation as The Gambia prepares to host Congo in its final AFCON qualifier match in September.
“There were matters in relation to the accessibility of players and media. We wanted to ensure all these points were taken care of. In modern stadiums, we need to ensure that players, media, fans, and VIPs have their own entrance and exit so that there is no clash. This was one of the remarks we were trying to find alternative solutions to,” said Mr Sidat in an interview with reporters.
He added that the environment around the stadium is crucial for safety, noting that though they understand that there is work still ongoing, ensuring access, the gates, and external perimeter areas has to be completed right to the best standards possible.
He recommended for another perimeter fence to be built around the pavilion before the next assessment, noting that notwithstanding, a circular will be sent to the Gambia Football Federation (GFF) in the coming weeks when CAF will provide a timeline for Football House to send their preferred venue for Gambia’s next game.
Mr. Sidat revealed that by the beginning of August, all venues for the CAF final round of AFCON qualifiers must be confirmed.
“It is a tight timeline, but I have received assurances from all authorities that they are working day and night to finish all works. So, let’s hope that happens.
Marcel Mendy, executive director for the National Sports Council, said they requested for CAF’s preliminary inspection on the ongoing work so that they could look at what they have done so far and to seek advice on what they need to improve on.
"We invited them so that they can look at what we have done so far, so that by the time they come for the final inspection, we would have gotten almost everything 100%.”
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen if The Gambia will host its final round of AFCON qualifier against Congo at the stadium, but the contractors are hoping to meet the deadline.
