The stadium crisis in Tunisia hinders Monastiri and Esperance in African competitions

Al-Ittihad Monastir, one of the most prominent Tunisian teams in recent years, will be forced to search for an alternative stadium, away from its stronghold in the city of Monastir, in order to compete in the group stage competitions in the African Confederation Cup.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) notified the Monastiri administration of the need to close the Mostafa Ben Jannat stadium in Monastir to introduce several reforms in order to comply with the federation’s new standards.

The federation stated in the correspondence, a copy of which was seen by the German News Agency (DPA), that the stadium is old and its building is outdated and needs a lot of work to meet the current standards and to be suitable for receiving matches within the Confederation of African Football or the International Federation (FIFA).

The authorities in Monastir will have to close the stadium indefinitely in order to complete the required work.

The Monastir Federation, the leaders of the second group in the local league, has not yet announced the alternative stadium that will host its matches in the league and in the African Confederation Cup, as the team participates in Group D with the Congolese Mazembe clubs, the Tanzanian Young Africans and the Malian Real Bamako.

However, the task will not be easy for the club’s management, because most of the stadiums lack the standards that Kaf demands.

The years-long economic crisis in Tunisia cast a shadow over the sports infrastructure, as it affected its most prominent stadiums, including the main stadium south of the capital, Hammadi Al-Aqrabi Stadium in Brades, in addition to a state of ambiguity about the stadium on which Esperance will play its matches in the group stage of the African Champions League.

And “Kaf” called for closing the side stands of the stadium until chairs are placed in them, which will deprive Esperance of the presence of 30,000 of its fans, or half of the stadium’s capacity.

Most of the stadiums in Tunisia were partially or completely closed, including the ancient “El Menzah Stadium” in the capital, due to modernization works, and the same applies to the stadiums in Sousse, Bizerte and Sfax, while the situation is still more deteriorating in the stadiums located in the interior regions.