Ahead of the projected CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup finals, the Confederation of African Football, or CAF, has expressed pleasure with the condition and quality of the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State.
After inspecting the stadium, Inas Ahmed, the head of the CAF inspection delegation, said he was satisfied with the facilities, particularly the natural grass, which he said was among the best on the continent. He also promised to vividly report to the CAF hierarchy everything he saw there.
The party also visited the Ibom Specialist Hospital, the Victor Attah International Airport, and the Ibom Icon Hotel and Golf Resort in addition to the stadium.
Earlier, when the inspection team was being received, Monday Uko, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, along with Elder Paul Bassey, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Sports, and management staff from the state Ministry of Youth and Sports, gave the visitors the assurance that the state would be prepared to provide the logistics needed to stage the continental showpiece should the nomination be confirmed.
If authorized, the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, which has hosted CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup games involving the state-owned team and reigning Nigerian champions, Akwa United FC, could host the continent’s largest club football final for the first time, 13 years after Heartland did.
The Champions League knockout stages will start on April 15 after the group stages are finished on April 3. Eight teams have advanced to the quarterfinals, including South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns, the 2016 champions, Wydad Casablanca, Raja Casablanca, ES Setif, CR Belouizdad, Esperance de Tunis, and Angola’s Petro de Luanda, Al Ahly.
While the final games of the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup have been set for May 29, 2022, a draw will be held on Tuesday, April 5, following the quarterfinals and semi-finals drawings, to identify the “home” team for administrative purposes.
