Lions, Bafana Bafana clash sends 3 ministers to Limbe

Cameroon’s new soccer stadium in Limbe is to host the 2017 African Nations Cup qualifying match of the Lions against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa.

The match, which will take place on any of the days between March 23 to March 26, 2016, will inaugurate the new soccer bowl that has been constructed by a Chinese company.

But with barely three months and two weeks left before this inaugural match, works on the access road to the stadium, parking lots, training pitch and other auxiliary facilities are still far from completion.

It is for these reasons that three Government Ministers; Sports and Physical Education, Pierre Ismael Bidoung Mpkwat; Housing and Urban Development, Jean Claude Mbwentchou and the Minister Delegate at the Presidency of the Republic in Charge of Public Contracts, Abba Sadou, left Yaounde to the site on December 8.

The Ministers came to see what could be done to fast-track on-going works on the main access road to the Stadium, the parking lots, water and electricity supplies, training pitch, among others.

The works on the double-carriage access road, ring road and parking lots around the stadium were launched on October 23, 2015, by Minister Mbwentchou. He had warned the three contracting firms, MAG, BUNS and La Croisiere Group and Routd’AF that the Government will not tolerate any delays in the execution of the works.

The firms were reminded that they had only eight months; that is by the end of June 2016, to complete work.

But with the Yaounde AmadouAhidjo Stadium having been shut down for renovation works before the November 2016 Female African Nations Cup, the new stadium in Limbe is now the only other fine venue left for any international matches like the upcoming match against South Africa.