N96 Million Waste: Keshi Says National Stadium Abuja Pitch Not Good For Football

The Super Eagles Head Coach Stephen
Keshi has said that the refurbished pitch of
the National Stadium in Abuja was not good
for football.
Keshi said this on Tuesday evening when he
spoke to newsmen after 18 Super Eagles
players had their first training session on the
refurbished pitch ahead of the crucial World
Cup final round qualifier against Ethiopia.
He expressed displeasure with the state of the
pitch, saying that it would be dangerous for
the Eagles to play on it. "From what I saw, it
is a sandy pitch and it is hard; it will be very
difficult for the players to play on it,
especially the goalkeepers because it is sharp
sand.
"If it rains, I think, the pitch will be water-
logged,'' Keshi said. Criticism has trailed the
renovation of the pitch since September 17
when the contractor, Julius Berger, handed
over the stadium to the government.
During their oversight visit to the stadium,
members of the House of Representatives
Committee on Sports had expressed
dissatisfaction with the renovated pitch.
Godfrey Gaiya, who led members of the
committee on the visit on September 25,
described the N96.6 million spent for re-
grassing of the pitch as "doubtful''.
He expressed disappointment with the level of
work carried out by Julius Berger, saying there
was not enough drainage to drain the water
from the pitch after the rain.
Mr. Gaiya had also described as "uncalled
for'', the ceremony which followed the
renovation, noting that it was not a norm in
the country to celebrate renovation of
projects.