Morocco’s football stadium management model could be something that Malawi is missing in keeping its football venues up to standard all the time.
The Moroccan experience in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) has enabled the country to ensure its main stadiums including Casablanca’s Muhammed V Complex (45,000 seats), Rabat’s Moulay Abdellah Complex (53,000), Grand Stade de Marrakech (45,240), Agadir’s Stade Adrar (45,480), Grand Stade de Tanger (45,000), and Grand Stade de Fez (37,000) remain in top-notch form.
Sonarges Facility Management Company is responsible for the management of the main sports infrastructure in Morocco.
Morocco has recently hosted several continental competitions in most of its state-of-the-art stadiums.
The competitions included Women’s CAN 2022 (Casablanca and Rabat) and the 2018 African Nations Championship or CHAN (Tangier, Casablanca, Marrakech, and Agadir).
Agadier Stadium Director Hicham Allouli speaking to a group of over 150 journalists from across Africa who are on a tour of sports facilities in the country said with over 65 permanent employees, they are able to keep the facility to the highest standards.
“Look, we have a well-devised management system for the pitches and other facilities at this complex.
“Since we do not just host football matches but even other entertainment events including big music shows, we always make sure that every step is made in making sure that we do not compromise on quality, ”said Allouli.
Allouli said maintenance of five main stadiums under Seganers management costs US $ 1 million a year but that is not a cause for worry due to the PPP which ensures that government meets the deficit in financial requirements.
“Malawi should try this model. I hope with a PPP Model of stadium management the national football team will no longer have to play home games in South Africa as it happened during the recent FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
“Keeping stadiums in line with FIFA and CAF standards should be a priority for countries and this is what we do here in Morocco,” added Allouli.
Morocco is a forerunner in the bidding process to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. This is a country in which football is treated like religion and the country is eager to give the continent a historic event when it wins the bid and hosts the games.
Reported by Frank Kandu, MBC Online Services.
#MBCNewsLive
