Football enthusiasts decry poor state of Rangers’ training pitch

Mon, Aug 8, 2022
By editor
3 MIN READ

Sports

SOME football enthusiasts in Enugu have described the Rangers International FC’s training pitch at Liberty Estate as “an eye sore”.
The enthusists spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeiria (NAN) on Monday.
They said that the pitch was no longer safe for the Flying Antelopes and their supporters.
Coach Anistar Izuikem of Star Plus FC said that the pitch was in a pitiable condition and deserved urgent government’s attention.
Izuikem said that the deplorable state of the pitch was manifest during the just-concluded state football league and state Federation and Aiteo Cup competitions.
“The playing turf is not maintained.
“It’s not clear why the state government abandoned the pitch after spending so much to build such a facility.
“It can only take a token to maintain but we lack maintence culture.
“Government would prefer to build a new facility, which it will later abandone to rot away.
“That pitch would have been an alternative for football competitions in the state now that the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium is undergoing renovation,” Izuikem said.
He pointed out that the roofs and seats at the supporters stand as well as the blocked drains needed urgent attention.
Also, Chidera Pius of Stars Plus FC said the playing turf was no more good for football.
“I know some of my friends that got injured at the pitch during the Federation, Aiteo Cup and state football league due to its bad condition.
“The turf needs to be renovated because a player cannot slide on this turf without sustaining bruises.
He said that the poor state of the turf left much to me desired about the seriousness of football administrators in the state.
The former Secretary, Sports Writer’s Assocation of Nigeria in the state, Ignatius Okpara, expressed worry that all the football pitches in the state were in sorry conditions.
“You are talking of Rangers training pitch, what about the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium that has been under renovation for months yet work appears to have stalled at the moment.
“Going by the slow pace of work at the stadium, Rangers will still play their home matches away from home next season.
“This is because I do not see the contractors completing the stadium before the commencement of the new season,” Okpara said.
He further expressed the fear that the project might not be completed before the end of the present administration.
“The training pitch is not as big as Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium yet government cannot fix it,” he said. (NAN)

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