Nujoma's legacy a mess
The mayor of Windhoek, Job Amupanda, says some things should just be fixed because it makes sense and shouldn't be done just because of instructions from Fifa, the governing body of football.
30 April 2021 | Sports
LIMBA MUPETAMI
WINDHOEK
Windhoek mayor Job Amupanda conducted an inspection yesterday morning at the Sam Nujoma Stadium, which recently caught flak for being substandard, resulting in a N$85 800 fine imposed on Namibia Football Association (NFA) by the Confederation of Africa Football (Caf).
The stadium, which was built in 2005, was named after the founding president of Namibia, Sam Nujoma, and has a seating capacity of 10 300. But it cannot host international matches anymore, according to the Caf.
The roof above the VIP seating needs to be extended, the dressing rooms are in poor condition and outdated, but despite this, the area was cleaned up perfectly for the visit.
Bums in seats
Individual seats are a requirement in the whole stadium, not only in the VIP area. The stadium also requires sufficient sanitary facilities for spectators.
The artificial turf should be replaced as a matter of urgency and the overall pitch condition improved and the surface must be levelled, green and marked clearly in white. Issues with the drainage system should also be attended to. While the mayor was followed around by a large group of City of Windhoek staff who listened closely and scribbled notes, as if readying for immediate action, a group of footballers were training on the pitch. “We must find a balance. You guys are always having fights and then Fifa tells us that politicians must not get involved. But now politicians must get involved to fix the stadium. So how do we strike a balance?” asked Amupanda as he looked around. He added that football is an important national activity. “From that strategic engagement we must do this. Not because Fifa says so. We must be able to intervene because we believe in the importance of football and the public good that football brings,” Amupanda added.
WINDHOEK
Windhoek mayor Job Amupanda conducted an inspection yesterday morning at the Sam Nujoma Stadium, which recently caught flak for being substandard, resulting in a N$85 800 fine imposed on Namibia Football Association (NFA) by the Confederation of Africa Football (Caf).
The stadium, which was built in 2005, was named after the founding president of Namibia, Sam Nujoma, and has a seating capacity of 10 300. But it cannot host international matches anymore, according to the Caf.
The roof above the VIP seating needs to be extended, the dressing rooms are in poor condition and outdated, but despite this, the area was cleaned up perfectly for the visit.
Bums in seats
Individual seats are a requirement in the whole stadium, not only in the VIP area. The stadium also requires sufficient sanitary facilities for spectators.
The artificial turf should be replaced as a matter of urgency and the overall pitch condition improved and the surface must be levelled, green and marked clearly in white. Issues with the drainage system should also be attended to. While the mayor was followed around by a large group of City of Windhoek staff who listened closely and scribbled notes, as if readying for immediate action, a group of footballers were training on the pitch. “We must find a balance. You guys are always having fights and then Fifa tells us that politicians must not get involved. But now politicians must get involved to fix the stadium. So how do we strike a balance?” asked Amupanda as he looked around. He added that football is an important national activity. “From that strategic engagement we must do this. Not because Fifa says so. We must be able to intervene because we believe in the importance of football and the public good that football brings,” Amupanda added.
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