Liberia National team the (Lone Star) will be able to host an International match for the first time in three years, after renovations works at the 35,000-seated Capacity national sports stadium,the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex is said to be completed.
Liberia would host South Africa at home, with the Lone Star latest upcoming fixture is said to be against the Bafana Bafana, in mid- September, in a 2023 Africa’s Cup of Nations qualifer showdown.
The Staduim has been closed international football matches for nearly three years, since october 2019, when Liberia lastly played on its home ground against the Sierra Leonen National team in a World Cup qualifier preliminary rounds, since than the Confederation of African Football CAF imposed a ban on the stadium, stating it does not meet the required footballing standard to host Ìnternational matches.
But, upon inspections on June 22, at the SKD Sports Complex, Youth and Sports Minister D. Zeogar Wilson has assured football stakeholders and the Government of Liberia that the “SKD” could be ready to host Lone Star and other International matches, after the completion of renovation works and the installation of Artificial turf on the playing pitch is said to be completed.
‘Stadium looks new’
The Samuel Kanyon Doe (SKD) Sports Complex has been undergoing rehabilitation with some of the renovation works, including the reconditioning of the home and away dressing rooms, installation of buckets seating, hot and cold water faucet showers in the bathrooms, the fixing of the referees room, anti-doping room, fire control room, venue operating system control room, medical room as well as media center.
The renovation also includes reconditioning of the playing pitch with installation of a modern artificial playing turfs among others.
According to the Liberia sport minister, the SKD Sports Complex in Paynesville, outside Monrovia will be ready to host matches later this year and it will be a plus to “our teams when they have a familiar ground”.
Liberia Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Mr. Nathaniel McGill applauded the Ministry of Youth and Sports for the level of work ongoing to bring back the sporting ‘reflects’to the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex.
Touring the SKD, Minister McGill thanked the Ministry through its head Zeogar Wilson for the progress he and his team are making to reach the facility to international standards.
“The stadium which was built in 1980s looked like a brand new one”,Minister McGill asserted. He indicated that the playing pitch which now has first class artificial turf, when properly managed, might last for decades.
Minister McGill, at the sametime stressed the need for the decentralization of sporting facilities, other counties, noting that it is President George Manneh Weah wish that more modern pitches will be build around the country to improve sports in Liberia.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to development, something he said is the quest of the Weah administration to connect the country by building roads, because “we need roads to carry such development to other parts of Liberia”.
The renovation works at the SKD is about 95% and McGill warned that a maintenance template needs to be put into place to ensure that the facility does not go back to its sorry state.
Liberia will have to wait until the Confederation of African Football (CAF) inspection team to assess the Staduim before it 100% ready to host Ìnternational matches. If approved by CAF in time, Liberia and South Africa Match will be played at the SKD, instead of the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca where the country has playing matches as home due to CAF ban.
Reminder, Liberia is using Morocco as her home- ground, because the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex is under rehabilitation
