Sierra Leone Football Association President Babadi Kamara has appealed to the Confederation of African Football to allow the Southern Arena in Bo to host Leone Stars international matches.
Kamara made the appeal at the CAF Strategy Conference in Santa Maria, Sal Island, Cabo Verde, where he argued that the 6,000-capacity stadium in Bo City has all the facilities required to host CAF-sanctioned matches but is being held back by the 200-kilometre airport-to-venue rule.
According to CAF regulations, a stadium must be within 200 kilometres of an international airport to host senior national team matches.
Bo City is more than 250 kilometres from the Freetown International Airport in Lungi, which automatically disqualifies the Southern Arena from hosting Leone Stars World Cup and AFCON qualifiers.
The SLFA President said the rule does not consider the different realities of African countries.
“Laws are not always universal because no two nations are the same, neither in size, economy nor people. So, when we make laws, we should take those issues into cognisance,” Kamara told delegates.
Kamara noted that the Southern Arena, which he owns, has already proved it can host international football, having staged four CAF Champions League matches involving teams from Algeria, Ivory Coast and Senegal, and three CAF Confederation Cup matches, without any security or logistical problems.
He is now asking CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe to review the regulation and grant exceptions for venues that can guarantee safety and proper arrangements for visiting teams, even if they are beyond the 200-kilometre limit.
At present, Leone Stars play almost all their home matches at the Siaka Stevens Stadium in Freetown.
