The CEO of Monimichelle Sports Mr. Ebi Egbe has stated that the grass at Bernabeu Stadium in Real Madrid is appropriate and recommended to be on the National Stadium pitch in Surulere, Lagos.
Egbe noted this yesterday during an interactive session with journalists on the HOT SEAT programme, anchored by Akeem Busari of the Nigeria Sports Centre Whatsapp platform.
Responding to a question on transformation of the Abuja and Surulere National Stadium, Egbe said:
“We can bring the grass in Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Real Madrid to the National Stadium in Surulere ”. “It is a hybrid grass and that is what is suitable for the National Stadium in Surulere”.
“I have always recommended that the National Stadium in Surulere be used as a football pitch, while the Abuja National Stadium is used for athletics”.
The Abuja national stadium is a Class One stadium”. “Hence, I will not advise government to install a hybrid synthetic pitch on it”.”It is a Class One certified athletic stadium, which means we must go for a natural turf”.
Egbe was however quick to observe that maintenance culture is another challenge:. “But the challenge is no matter how much we spend with natural turf in Nigeria we are faced with maintenance issues” he started.
“When you install natural grass, even the water you pour on the field must be treated”. “You must have the right maintenance equipment to treat the natural grass” he insisted.
“But we need to have an athletics stadium where they will be throwing javelin and other tract event”. “That is why I advise government that the Abuja Stadium be athletics stadium while Lagos be a football stadium”.
“When we make the Lagos stadium a football stadium, we can now go for a top grade hybrid grass like the one at the Real Madrid Stadium done by MIXTO” he explained.
“I represent Mixto in the whole of Africa”, “I have a good work relationship with them for the past 10 to 12 years now. So we can have the Bernabeu grass stadium at the National Stadium in Surulere. Lagos” he concluded.
It will be recalled that Monimichelle installed the synthetic hybrid grass in Enyimba Stadium Aba, which CAF inspector recently described as one of the best in Africa.
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