The Football Association of Malawi says it is impressed with the progress made in renovating Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe and is confident it will be certified fit to host international matches.
The facility has been undergoing renovations to enable it be homologated and certified fit by Confederation of African Football.
In March CAF declared that Malawi has no certified facilities to host international football and there were fears that the Flames will be playing international matches outside the country.
FAM managed to beat the CAF deadline on Wednesday July 14, 2021 by submitting a new report on the status of the BNS and FAM President Walter Nyamilandu is optimistic the facility will pass the test.
“As FAM we are impressed with the ongoing renovations which are necessary to comply with the new standards of hosting World Cup matches and the Africa Cup of Nations Matches as required by FIFA and CAF respectively.
“A report on the readiness of BNS has been submitted to CAF on the specified deadline of 14th July with evidence of pictures of the facility and the football pitch. Following our recommendation to use Bingu National Stadium as opposed to Kamuzu Stadium which was rejected, CAF will arrange an inspection soon and notify us of the date
“The renovations are on track and we have no doubt that CAF will homologate the stadium and certify it fit. Malawians should be assured that the Flames, all national teams and local clubs will play all their international home matches in the country,” he said.
He also said the working floodlights at BNS will enable FAM comply with CAF recommendations of hosting matches in the evening due to rising temperatures during the day that adversely affect performance of the players.
“The floodlights are in perfect condition and we will soon start playing at night. Being a new phenomenon in Malawi in the recent years, we will need to adapt to this new regulation in order to be certified fit to host international matches. This also brings a new dynamic for the fans to watch football and be entertained at night,” said Nyamilandu.
Flames are set to host Mozambique at the BNS in a 2021 FIFA World Cup qualifier in September.
