The inauguration of Juba National Stadium, which was slated for earlier this year, now hangs in the balance after it emerged that the South Sudan Football Association (SSFA) needs additional money to complete the work.
However, on a visit to Juba Stadium last year, the National Minister of Youth and Sports, Dr Albino Bol, and SSFA President, Gen. Augustino Maduot, confirmed to the media that the opening of the Juba stadium would take place in early 2022.
While addressing the journalists at SSFA’s headquarters during the draws of the South Sudan Cup on Monday, Gen. Maduot said the stadium would not be opened without finishing the remaining parts such as “Seven Mile”, fences, and solar systems, which are not part of the FIFA project.
“It will be delayed because there is a lot of work that needs to be done before it can be completed,” Maduot said.
He blamed the previous administration for signing incomplete agreements with contractors, saying some things were missing, and as such, the SSFA would need to raise some money to complete the remaining parts of the stadium.
“The previous administration, while signing the agreement, did not include certain things such as the seven-mile, fence, and floodlights.”
“The previous administration, I think, was intending to put back the previous lights and did not include them in the plan, but those lights are not up to FIFA standards. So we shall have to bring new lights,” Gen Maduot added.
He said for the stadium work to be completed, there is a need for an additional over $2 million, which he said they are seriously discussing with FIFA and the government for support.
“SSFA is trying to discuss with FIFA if they can help us with a loan so we can finish the stadium work,” he said. “That is why I visited FIFA last month, and even with our government, we have been calling on them to help.”
“I am confident that if it was the previous administration, FIFA would not agree to support or lend to them because they would question what happened before.”
Pledge made
Dr Bol, Gen. Maduot and GS Construction Company Site Engineer, Debeba Melest, announced in November last year that the inauguration would take place earlier this year as the facility’s construction neared completion.
“As you can see now, 90 per cent of the construction has been finished, and we are at the finishing stage. I want to inform the public that this stadium will see the light officially by the beginning of the year 2022,” Dr Bol stated while addressing journalists at Juba Stadium.
Dr Bol said the work had been done to international standards. “I want to assure the people of South Sudan that after we formed the investigation committee last time, it was found that the stadium was standard, and the constructors were doing standard work,”
The stadium is to accommodate 7,000 people, and according to Maduot, the government needs to support the course to push the project to completion.
Debeba Melest, GS Construction Company Site Engineer said that his team is hopeful that the facility will officially be used in the first quarter of 2022.
“We will surely finish the project in the next two months,” the site engineer said.
Juba Stadium’s construction was officially launched on April 5, 2019, and the stadium was initially planned to be completed in February 2020, according to the recommendation from the F IFA and CAF.
The project was funded by FIFA for $5 million, which the FIFA President pledged during his visit to South Sudan after his first election as head of the world football governing body.