Wa Ganyu 

The story is simple, Malawi has no stadium as the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has classified Bingu and other stadiums in 25 other countries unfit to host international matches.

The ban on Bingu comes after the ministry of sports failed to renovate some of the areas which CAF pointed out when it granted a provision approval to host international matches last year.

These include technical areas which were then said to have substandard seats and security perimeter fence which was also condemned. However, one year later there is nothing the ministry has done.

A statement issued by CAF yesterday says the list of approved stadiums starts with the forthcoming Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round matches scheduled for August.

Malawi’s club, FCB Nyasa Big Bullets was expected to host Red Arrows of Zambia in the CAF preliminary round between 16 and 25 August in Malawi before a return match in Zambia.

With the ban, Bullets is yet to decide which country will be used as their new home but they have Mozambique and Tanzania on their table. 

Mozambique has Estádio Nacional do Zimpeto in Maputo which is qualified to host matches while Tanzania has two; Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium and Azam Complex Stadium, both located in Dar es Salaam. 

Other countries without a qualified stadium are Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central Africa, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Sudan, South Sudan, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sao Tome, Niger, Namibia and Madagascar.  

Bingu Stadium has been used by Kenya and Ethiopia as home grounds during recent World Cup qualifier matches.