With less than two weeks before the crucial 2022 World Cup playoff clash between the Super Eagles and the Black Stars of Ghana, Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system is yet to be installed at the MKO Abiola National stadium in Abuja.
This was made known on Tuesday by the sports minister, Sunday Dare, during an inspection of the stadium which is scheduled to host the match.
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Daily Trust reports that the availability of VAR is a prerequisite for stadiums across the African continent to be approved to host World Cup playoff matches.
“The VAR equipment is on the way and it is solely handled by the NFF. Before the game here, CAF officials will come and inspect the stadium,” he said.
It will be recalled that in 2020 during the renovation of the mainbowl of the stadium, a top official of Aron Nigeria Limited, the Lagos based Construction Company that renovated the stadium told Daily Trust that the new scoreboards which have since been installed will be Video Assistant Referee (VAR) compliant.
“The scoreboard will be technologically driven and it will be VAR compliant where replays of actions can be shown,” he said.
Although the VAR system is not yet in place, Dare assured that the stadium is ready to host the all important match scheduled for March 29.
“The ministry is working with the NFF and we are taking a lot of proactive steps. We see the cleanliness of the pitch. If you go into the dressing rooms, you will see Wi-Fi connection there. There are a lot of things that have been done and they are not visible to the naked eye.
“The NFF and ministry have looked at the checklist and there is appreciable progress so far. We are looking at ticketing, transportation, security and we hope that March 29, the stadium will be ready,” he said.
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