The State Minister for Sports, Peter Ogwang has revealed that the National Football team- Uganda Cranes will return to the Mandela National Stadium Namboole when they host Algeria in June for the next round of the TotalEnergies African Cup of Nations (AFCON) Qualifiers.
“The game against Algeria will be played here in Namboole Stadium on 12th June. That is my promise to Ugandans,” Ogwang said in a tweet on his official Twitter account.
Ogwang furthermore revealed that “major works at Namboole have been concluded, we are now looking at fixing the 40,000 seats which will be concluded in less than a month,”
He also revealed that they are working with a UK based consultancy firm to ensure they have the best grass and on time.
The Stadium will be completed and handed over back to its management by June according to the contractors, the UPDF Engineering Brigade.
This deadline however may not permit timely inspection by CAF.
Nevertheless, according to sources privy to the works at Namboole, the turf will be ready for play in September unless a special type of grass is used.
The renovation and upgrade of the stadium started in January last year after Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) blacklisted the ground from hosting official International games.
FIFA and CAF recommended new seats in the general public stands, a new green playing surface, decent changing rooms for both players and officials, a new running track (tartan), installation of desks and air conditioners in the media and VIP sections, a modern LED scoreboard and upgrading of floodlights.
Uganda has been relying on the privately owned St. Mary’s Stadium Kitende for the last three years until CAF declared the ground unfit to host matches earlier this year.
This development propelled Uganda to host neighbours Tanzania away in Egypt last week for their AFCON Qualifier.
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