Kenya: Mombasa Stadium to Be Ready for Use Next Month, Says Mombasa Mayor

Nairobi Star (Nairobi)

Phillip Mbaji

22 June 2011

The Mombasa Stadium is expected to host high profile matches starting next month, Mombasa Mayor Ahmed Mohdhar said yesterday.

Mohdhar said his council workers were working around the clock to complete the renovation by next month. Mohdhar said he was concerned that Mombasa county has only one ground-the Kenya Ports Authority’s Mbaraki Sports ground- at the moment. “The renovation work at Mombasa Stadium is almost complete and we hope it will be hosting high profile matches as from next month,” he said.

Modhar was speaking at the stadium when he led 32 civic leaders to an inspection tour of the facility that has been under renovation for some months now.

He said he was satisfied with the ongoing renovation work at the stadium and added that the completion of the facility will give coast soccer fans an alternative field.

His assurance comes barely a week after Congo United fans requested the derby between their team and Bandari to be shifted to the venue, saying playing at Mbaraki ground would give them undue advantage. The derby played on Sunday however ended in a barren draw.

Elsewhere, Mathare United have distance themselves from “age-cheating” scam in national team selection after suspicions were raised over the eligibility of players in Under-23 ahead of this weekend’s All Africa Games qualifier against Uganda in Nairobi.

A statement from the club said: “Mathare United would not knowingly be a party to any age cheating,” and clarified the presence of fully capped Harambee Stars winger, Innocent Mutiso, in the Under-23 team.

Before the red flag was raised by the press about the ages of Leonard Saleh’s squad for the weekend, Mathare United had already earlier written to the Football Kenya Limited, regarding Mutiso’s selection.

Mathare United chief executive officer, Sam Mwai, wrote to Thabit Mohamed, the FKL operations manager saying: “We shall be releasing our players after the Kenyan Premier League match against Bandari on Wednesday. Kindly note as well, that we are releasing Innocent Mutiso on the basis that he is one of the three overage players that are allowed under the tournament (All Africa Games) rules.”

Mathare pledged zero tolerance to the age-cheating menace, rampant in Kenya, the Cecafa region and in the continent.

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