The Gambia will play their next qualifier for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations at the country’s main stadium next month after the ban on it by the Confederation of African Football was lifted, the country’s sport ministry said on Thursday.
A CAF inspection team is due in Banjul to conduct a final inspection before officially clearing the stadium to host international matches.
The Independence stadium located in the coastal town of Bakau looks set to host the Scorpions’ next home game against Comoros on November 15th.
It will be the first international match at the stadium in two years following the 2022 ban over poor infrastructure and dodgy pitch at the facility, which also hosts other non-sporting events as a multi-purpose venue including national parades, music concerts, and trade fairs.
Since the ban, the 20-000 seater stadium which was built in the 1980s has been undergoing a comprehensive renovation on the pitch, the stands, dugouts, scoreboard and dressing rooms. Media and a medical sections were also added in accordance with the requirements set by CAF.
The continental football governing body had turned down several requests by the Gambia Football Federation for the stadium ban to be lifted last year given that some of its requirements for improving facilities in Gambia’s only national stadium, had not been met.
In the interm the Scorpions have been playing their home matches in Morocco and Senegal which left many of their fans dispirited over the chance to roar their side to victory every time they take to the field.
The last time The Gambia played at the Independence Stadium was in March 2021 when they beat Angola to clin their first qualification to the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon where they reached the quaterfinals of the competition.
in their second AFCON tournament, the Scorpions lost all group games against Senegal, Guinea and Cameroon when Ivory Coast who emerged eventual winners hosted it earlier this year.
A statement by the country’s sports ministry on Thursday declared: ”The wait is over… the iconic Independence Stadium, Gambia’s fortress for international battles, will roar to life on November 15, 2024, as the Scorpions take to the field”.
”Under the dazzling stadium lights, the atmosphere will be electric, with thousands of passionate fans cheering for a Gambia victory. A win here means more than just three points—it’s a step closer to AFCON 2025 and a chance to make history on home soil. With everything on the line, the Scorpions are ready to strike” the statement said.
The Gambia is on 5 points after four AFCON qualifiers against Group A opponents Comoros, Tunisia and Madagascar.
WN/as/APA