Monimichelle Boss Urges Sports Administrators, Govts to Refocus on Quality of Stadium Turfs
Duro Ikhazuagbe
Grounds Management Association (GMA) certified hybrid pitch expert, Ebi Egbe, has warned sports administrators and government officials directly involved in the award of contracts for the construction of football pitches must shift their focus away from the cosmetics of how such turfs looks to ascertaining if the facilities can withstand pressure from usage.
Egbe who is the CEO of Monimichelle Sports Facilities Limited, told THISDAY yesterday that the reason why most Nigerian stadium turfs fail to meet CAF/FIFA certification is because “our sports administrators only concern themselves with the lush green nature of football pitches rather than demanding to know from the contractors if the jobs they have done can stand the pressure of usage. We keep building stadiums that impress visually but fail functionally.”
The Monimichelle Boss continues: “Every pitch may look green from the stands, but not every green surface meets the standard required for elite football. It is only the end-users like the players, coaches, and match officials who can truly judge whether a pitch is good or not. Administrators are not end users, they can only judge from appearance, which is not enough.”
Egbe pointed at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City; Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan and the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba as some of the facilities whose playing turfs looked good when they were handed over to the various state governments but have failed over time.
“Take a look at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Lekan Salami Stadium, and Stephen Keshi Stadium. At different points, all presented visually appealing green, 100% natural pitches, after construction or renovation. On the surface, they looked ready but football is not played on appearance.
“Over time, these pitches have struggled with sustainability, poor drainage, inconsistent grass coverage, rapid wear, under usage, and inability to support the speed and intensity of modern football. None of these facilities can reliably host top-level CAF competitions today,” observed Egbe who is perhaps, the best GMA certified groundsman in the country today.
He therefore warned that until Nigerian sports administrators shift focus from how a pitch looks to how it performs and endures, “we will keep building stadiums that impress visually but fail functionally. A pitch is not judged on commissioning day; it is judged months and years later under match pressure. If it cannot maintain quality consistently, then the “green” was only cosmetic,” concludes Egbe.
