Mpira Stadium could be a health hazard to players following revelations that the artificial turf has outlived its lifespan after clocking 10 years, Times Sport can reveal.
The facility’s turf was installed in 2014 with a grant from Fifa.
However, Times Sport has established that the lifespan of the turf which was installed at the facility is, with proper care, between eight and 10 years.
Sources at Football Association of Malawi (Fam) confirmed that the turf needs to be replaced in earnest to avoid injuries to players and technical staff.
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“If properly managed, the turf can last for more than 10 years but, in the last 10 years, there was no proper care for Mpira Stadium turf, which has reduced its lifespan. The turf is abused due to activities such as social matches,” the source said.
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According to the source, the facility’s turf has not been given necessary attention since it was stalled in 2014.
“Just imagine, the association has had no brush for the artificial turf since 2014. Fam normally hires the brush from Kamuzu stadium,” the source said.
For Fam to replace the old artificial turf, it needs about K800 million.
An artificial turf costs about $467,000 for a football pitch and this is according to what government spent when replacing Kamuzu Stadium artificial turf in 2018.
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Fam General Secretary Alfred Gunda was not readily available for his comment Sunday while the association’s competitions and communications Gomezgani Zakazaka did not answer his mobile phone Sunday.
On top of poor condition of the turf, the stadium poses a healthy concern to spectators as only few toilets are usable.
A recent visit to the stadium indicated that only three toilets meant for ladies are working whereas the other toilets in the men’s section are unusable for the 10,000-seater facility.
Mpira Stadium is used as home ground for Super League teams namely Mighty Tigers and Bangwe All Stars.
The facility hosted the match between Bangwe and Mighty Mukuru Wanderers Sunday.
Bangwe owner Mphatso Jika was reluctant to comment on the condition of the stadium.
“I will not be able to give you correct information about the stadium but talk to players or the coach,” Jika said.
Apart from hosting Super League matches, it hosts matches in the Southern Region Football Association (SRFA) league, camp training for all national football teams (both male and female) and also junior tournaments.
Fam upgraded the facility from a training ground to a mini-stadium with funding from Fifa from 2017 to 2019.
Then, it installed seats at the facility and also constructed dressing rooms. It was officially reopened in 2019 as Malawi hosted the Cosafa Under-17 Boys Championship.
In 2020, the facility hosted the international friendly match between Malawi and Zimbabwe, which ended goal-less.
