The investment in football infrastructure in Africa, building and maintenance of stadiums in the 54 CAF Member Associations has been the one of the key strategic focus areas of the CAF Leadership.
And, with African football enjoying unprecedented global interest thanks to the world-class TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire, CAF is hosting a CAF Stadium Inspectors Workshop at Mohammed VI Sports Complex in Rabat, Morocco, with candidates who have been tasked with monitoring the infrastructure across the African Continent.
The workshop was opened by Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF) President and CAF Executive Committee Member, Mr Fouzi Lekjaa, who underscored the importance of investing in world-class infrastructure and maintaining the facilities.
It is focusing on a number of areas including: CAF stadiums regulatory framework, stadium inspection guidelines, natural and artificial pitches, floodlighting assessment, safety & security in stadiums and media and TV facilities.
The CAF Stadium Inspectors Workshop is designed to train stadium inspectors who will be appointed by CAF to guide African clubs and Member Associations in ensuring that their stadiums are in line with the required standards of hosting CAF events, as per the CAF Stadium Regulations (edition 2022).
Over the three days, the candidates will be taken through various theoretical and practical activities, which will be accompanied by stadium visits with designated CAF Departmental Heads.
The training will see each candidate being tested at the end of the workshop on their knowledge of inspecting and assessing stadium pitch quality, seating capacity, safety and security, lighting, medical as well as media & broadcast amongst other key facilities required for CAF competitions.
In 2022, CAF launched its Club Licensing Online Platform (CLOP), a digital tool designed to help Member Associations digitize their administration and manage stadium inspection processes for continental and domestic competitions.
The candidates will also be trained in using the CLOP Stadium Module, which will be a guiding tool in their respective stadium inspections.
Morocco is preparing to host key CAF Events in the next cycle, which include the TotalEnergies CAF Futsal Africa Cup of Nations (11 – 21 April) as well as next year’s TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations.
The country was also recently awarded the hosting rights to the next five editions of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup as of 2025.
Source: CAF | Communication Department
Frederick Marfo is a sportswriter and social worker well known for his advocacy for equal chances and rights for all athletes, especially those with disabilities.
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