Some unscrupulous fans and spectators stand in the bucket seats at the SKD Sports Complex during one of the recent matches in the ongoing National County Sports Meet
–County Meet Spectators Abuse, Stand in Seats, Destroy 41
IPNEWS-Monrovia: When the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Federation of International Football (FIFA) banned the Samuel Kanyon Sports Complex some time ago for not meeting international standards to host matches, the Liberian government through the Ministry of Youth and Sports had to dig deep into the national coffers to provide funds to give the stadium the needed standard demanded internationally.
IPNEWS gathered that the government through the Ministry of Youth and Sports had to spend about US$500,000 to purchase 35,000 buckets for installation in the entire seating capacity of the SDK Sports Complex that was constructed in the 1980s under the Samuel Kanyon Doe regime after slain President William R. Tolbert had secured the agreement with the Peoples Republic of China before he was brutally overthrown and killed on April 12, 1980.
To have other facilities at the SKD upgraded to international standards, including a medical/First Aid facility within the SKD, referee rooms, dressing rooms for teams, media room, conference room, washrooms, toilets, flood, laying of an artificial turf among many others the Liberian government had to spend some millions to bring the stadium on par in keeping with international standards.
Following the upgrading of the SKD Sports Complex to international standard, CAF and FIFA then lifted the ban imposed on the stadium, thus paving the way for Liberia to host South Africa in March this year in a qualifying competition after the country could not host any international game at the SKD Sports Complex for over two years.
But speaking to the media, Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Andy Quamie, disclosed that in February of this year CAF and FIFA are due to send inspectors to do a final inspection on the stadium which is intended to give green light for Liberia to host South Africa in March. But according to Deputy Minister Quamie, if the Liberians who throng daily to the SKD Sports Complex to watch games in the ongoing National County Sports Meet do not desist from damaging the bucket seats at the stadium and the inspectors come and flag that, it could pose a risk for the SKD Sports Complex to be banned again, thus denying the country its rights to host home games there.
Disclosing the recent damage done to some of the bucket seats at the SKD Sports Complex, Deputy Minister Quamie said just within two days, unscrupulous fans destroyed a total of 41 seats at the SKD Sports Complex, with seven of those located in the VVIP section. “It is hard to believe that spectators will leave the pathway in the stadium but will chose to stand in the seats and break them. In as much as we have some in stock to replace any damaged seat, that does not give anybody the right to destroy any of the bucket seats mounted at the SKD Sports Complex,” Deputy Minister Quamie told a local radio.
The Deputy Youth and Sports Minister cautioned Liberians to desist from flooding the perimeter and playing pitch of the SKD Sports Complex after a given match, because they have no business being in the section of the stadium during match time. Deputy Minister Quamie lamented such action risked the stadium being banned again.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister Quamie disclosed that authorities of the Ministries as well as the Organizing Committee of the National County Sports Meet will hold meeting the Liberia National Police, Armed Forces of Liberia and privately-owned Special Security Guard Service (SEGAL) of Mr. Momo Cyrus to strategize mechanism that will be deployed for the remaining two days the games will be played at the SKD Sports Complex as the Sports Meet climaxes. He noted if Stewards will have to be deployed in the rows of the bucket seats at the SKD to prevent spectators destroying them the Ministry will not hesitate to do that in order to save the stadium from being banned again by CAF and FIFA.
Prior to the installation of the bucket seats at the SKD Sports Complex, the seating capacity after it was constructed in the 1980s was put at 35,000 but after the installation of the bucket seats, the new seating capacity is put at 22,039 seats, while the Organizing Committee prints only 19,000 tickets per day, which is in keeping with FIFA regulation which says tickets printed for a given match should be 5% less of the seating capacity of a stadium.
Touching on the flood lights at the SKD for night games, Deputy Minister Quamie disclosed through budgetary allotment, the old analog lights will be replaced with LED lights in keeping with FIFA set standards to ensure the visibility needed to host night matches.
