Al-Ittihad Monastir – one of the most prominent Tunisian teams in recent years – will be forced to search for an alternative stadium, far from its stronghold in the city of Monastir, in order to compete in the group stage competitions in the African Confederation Cup.
Most of the stadiums in Tunisia were partially or completely closed, including the ancient “El Menzah Stadium” in the capital, due to modernization works, and the same applies to the stadiums in Sousse, Bizerte and Sfax, while the situation is still more deteriorating in the stadiums in the interior regions.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) notified the Monastiri administration of the need to close the Mostafa Ben Gnat Stadium in Monastir, due to the introduction of several reforms in order to comply with the federation’s new standards.
The federation explained in the correspondence that the stadium is old and its construction is outdated and needs a lot of work to meet current standards and to be suitable for receiving matches within the Confederation of African Football or the International Federation (FIFA).
The authorities in Monastir will be forced to close the stadium indefinitely in order to complete the required work.
The Monastir Federation – the leaders of the second group standings in the local league – has not yet announced the alternative stadium that will host its matches in the league and in the African Confederation Cup, as the team participates in Group D with the Congolese Mazembe clubs, the Tanzanian Yang Africans and the Malian Real Bamako.
However, the task will not be easy for the club’s management, because most of the stadiums lack the standards that Kaf demands.
The years-long economic crisis in Tunisia cast a shadow over the sports infrastructure. Where the most prominent stadiums, including the main stadium, south of the capital; Hamadi Al-Aqrabi Stadium in Brades, in addition to the existence of a state of ambiguity regarding the stadium on which Esperance will play its matches in the group stage of the African Champions League competition.
“Kaf” demanded that the side stands of the stadium be closed until chairs are placed in them, which will deprive Esperance of the presence of 30,000 of its fans, or half of the stadium’s capacity.
