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The rain that fell during the friendly match between Côte d'Ivoire and Mali on September 12, 2023 showed the limits of the Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara, built and renovated at a cost of several million euros.
The turf at Stade d'Ebimpé could not withstand the heavy rain.
An overall cost of 219 million euros and over 30 million euros more to redo the turf for two years from 2021 to 2023. Result: still nothing.The pitch at the Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara in Ebimpé failed on Tuesday, September 12, 2023 after heavy rain. The friendly match between Côte d'Ivoire and Mali was interrupted at half-time (0-0). However, the deluge that fell on the entire city of Abidjan prevented the game from being resumed. This plunged the Ivorian people into disarray as well as the authorities too.
Billions squandered for nothing
Sport News Africa contacted specialists to find out what was going on. "I warned them. I even met with certain officials to show them my pitch project. They didn't listen to me. The stadium's drainage system is no good.There's a new technique that hasn't been used. After snubbing the Ivorians, they had to hand it all over to the Turks. I'm watching it all from afar now," confided Claude Blatilde, an expert gardener and founder of a company in the field. When the Stade d'Ebimpé closed on June 14, 2021, a new, state-of-the-art pitch was announced at the start of construction in December of that year. Pictures even showed experts rolling it out. Today, the whole thing looks more like an act than anything else.
"It's not the first time it's rained in Côte d'Ivoire. We were in a heavy rainstorm just a month ago. People have just hidden the truth from the Ivorians. They sent a second-hand pitch," he concluded our interview. Anger is everywhere, at the Stade, where even the corridors and halls are flooded, as well as on social networks.
Responsibilities to be clarified, jobs at risk
"Once and for all, those responsible must be held accountable and punished in accordance with the law. The Ivorian taxpayer can't spend over 200 million euros on the construction and renovation of the Ebimpé Stadium and then, after 2 or 3 matches, end up with this!It's unacceptable. We have to stop always finding excuses and writing off failures just to protect ourselves or people.And it's the same everywhere (roads, stadiums, etc.). Billions spent, for similar results", says Nasser Eddy Nicolas, consultant on the private Ivorian channel NCI.
At the time of going to press, an urgent meeting was taking place. "A source at the Ministry of Sports told us: "The Minister will give his opinion shortly. In the midst of the commotion, the referees stopped the match.And for the Ministry of Sports, and therefore the ONS, the sound of ejection is pressing, one day before the Council of Ministers meeting on September 13, 2023. All know they are in the hot seat for those millions of euros thrown down the drain.
