15th May, 2012
Organisers for the Arsenal tour to Nigeria in August have disclosed they plan to fix the Abuja National Stadium pitch ahead of the tour.
Arsenal’s advanced party three weeks ago visited the Abuja National Stadium to take first-hand information on the state of the pitch.
According to a three-page report seen by MTNFootball.com, the Abuja stadium turf was declared dead and needs to be outrightly replaced.
The advanced party also recommended a fresh soil culture for the stadium whose pitch has gone four months without been watered.
“After reviewing the recommendations of our grounds men, we have resolved to change the pitch of the Abuja National Stadium,” Nigerian representative of the organisers said.
He added: “We need to do this because we don’t want any kind of injuries by the Arsenal players. We are committed to having the Wenger boys here. That is why the grounds men at the Emirates came here. So, the pitch you would see on 2 August would be the same you watch week in week out at the Emirates.”
On how soon the work would start on the pitch, our source, who was also pivotal in the coming of Manchester United, said: “We have two months before the game and that is enough time for our grounds men to finish the job.”