After the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced the closure of the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, the government said they should have contacted them before closing it because it was undergoing renovations
Speaking today, March 12, 2025, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, Gerson Msigwa, confirmed the receipt of the announcement to close the stadium this morning
"It is true that today they woke up to the news that CAF has closed the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium due to defects in the playing area"
"The CAF inspection was carried out about two weeks ago and it was carried out after the Simba and Azam match and remember we did not announce the stadium to be closed for renovations"
"But these matches have a lot of fans and a lot of security issues. TFF (Tanzania Football Federation) asked us We ask that we use the field, the day they came the field had been cut to the ground."
"So when the players were playing and you know these matches are a little bit of pressure, you go and dig a little bit," he said
Msigwa, who is also the Chief Government Spokesperson, said that when they were playing the game, CAF inspectors were there and told them to make sure they were repairing it and wanted to see the pitch repair machines
However, he said they could not show them because the machines were on their way from a manufacturer in China. Msigwa said the machines entered the country five days after they wanted to see them and were used to repair the field.
