Prejudices and intransigence from staunch defenders of state secularism overshadowed the most anticipated news for football fans in five years. The president of the Refoundation's donation of 40 million ariary to the Apokalypsy Church and the decoration of Grand Officer of the National Order for Pastor Mailhol, during the church's 30th anniversary celebration on Saturday at Mahamasina, completely eclipsed Colonel Randrianirina's announcement of Barea Stadium rehabilitation works, set to begin at month's end for homologation. This should have made headlines, but the announcement went largely unnoticed, covered only by a few websites.
Colonel Randrianirina thus pleased both sides. He balanced things for those questioning his criteria for the donation and what services Pastor Mailhol rendered to deserve this high distinction, which many important personalities never received.
The Refoundation president knew that football is also a religion in many countries, like Colombia, where mass is celebrated at the stadium before earthquakes destroy it. If music is the opium of the people for fundamentalists, football is the chewing gum of enthusiasts. If faith is his creed, football is also a religion. Though he is a believer, he is also a field player.
Thus, while he hasn't spoken much about sports development generally and football particularly, we know Barea Stadium homologation is among his priorities. This stadium is among the previous regime's failures. One wonders why the Court of Accounts didn't flag irregularities in its construction. For 78 million dollars, one could have built one of Africa's greatest stadiums. For far less, countries like Comoros obtained CAF-homologated stadiums.
When CAF identified twenty-nine points requiring revision, only patching was done while claiming everything was corrected. In five CAF inspections, homologation was always refused due to non-compliance with standards.
Repeatedly, officials claimed everything met standards and only awaited CAF inspectors, but disappointment and anger from football fans always followed. Public opinion was misled.
Externally, the stadium looks impressive in the capital, but built without consulting competent technicians, it's like a dining table for thirteen people. The same happened with the athletics track, which is anything but professional. Neither the number of lanes nor the steeplechase pit are present. These anomalies must be properly addressed this time. Until now, instead of amputation, paracetamol was prescribed. We hope this time the goal will be var…idé.
Sylvain Ranjalahy