Ethiopia Awaits CAF’s Ruling on Bahir Dar Stadium Ahead of AFCON Qualifiers

ADDIS ABABA – A delegate of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) visited Bahir Dar International Stadium for assessment ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers group matches next month.

CAF banned the Stadium, the only venue to host the national team’s home matches, in October, 2021, after its inspection team found the facility unfit to host international matches, forcing the Walias to play their 2022 World Cup qualifying home match vs Ghana, in South Africa.

The first two rounds of the AFCON group phase to qualifiers for the 2023 finals are now scheduled for the first two weeks of June.

Ahead of the qualifiers, the Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) said the CAF’s delegation visited the Bahir Dar Stadium on Friday.

The CAF previously ordered the Federation to make the Stadium meet at least seven of its requirements, including upgrading the standards of medical, VIP, Media centers as well as training facilities.

Since the last inspection, various renovation works have been carried out to the Stadium as per the CAF’s requirements, said the Football governing body in Ethiopia.

CAF’s delegation assessed these improvement works during its visit on Friday, said the EFF, adding that it is now awaiting CAF’s decision on the Stadium’s legibility to hold international matches.

“The decision is expected to be made in the coming few days,” said the Federation

Ethiopia is drawn in Group D alongside Egypt, Malawi, and Guinea to qualify for the tournament to be played in Cote d’Ivoire in May and June, 2023.