Monimichelle Says Hybrid Synthetic Pitches Will Boost African Football Quality
A sports facility expert, Ebi Egbe, has called for adoption of sustainable hybrid synthetic pitches to improve the quality of football leagues and clubs in Africa.
Egbe, the Managing Director of Monimichelle Sports, a sports construction and maintenance giant who said this on Wednesday noted that the natural grass pitches which were common in Africa were no longer promoting the game.
He said bad football pitches had taken a negative toll on African football at all levels and undermined the growth, safety as well as her global competitiveness.
Egbe said National teams from countries with poor domestic pitches were at a disadvantage during international competitions because it took a longer period for players who trained on bad pitches to adapt.
“Players struggle to pass accurately, dribble, or shoot effectively on bumpy or waterlogged pitches
“Poor pitch impacts negatively on quality of games due to unpredictable ball movement, improper ball control, technique and confidence for young players,” he said.
Egbe said marketability of leagues and clubs was poor because brands avoided associating with low-quality football events and poor playing surfaces.
“Investors are hesitant to fund teams or leagues without proper football infrastructure, most especially TV friendly pitches.
“Hard or uneven surfaces lead to ankle sprains, anterior cruciate ligament tears, muscle strains, poor drainage also causes waterlogging and slippery conditions which increase the risk of falls and serious injury,
Monimichelle Sports boss said the remedy for poorly maintained natural pitches was the adoption of sustainable hybrid synthetic pitches and spending money to conduct FIFA field tests in order to attain FIFA quality and FIFA quality PRO certification.
He said clubs and countries risked disqualification or ban from hosting matches if pitches did not meet standards.
“FIFA/CAF inspections have led to multiple stadiums in Africa being blacklisted for elite African games like the AFCON/World Cup qualifiers, African Champions League and Confederation Cup.
“Teams with access to better pitches dominate, widening the performance gap and reducing competition.
“Poor pitches send the message that football is not valued, this reduces community i
nterest and pride,” he said.
