Football : Minister of Sports describes the situation of the 4th August Stadium in Ouagadougou as « very painful »

Minister of Sports, Boubakar Savadogo, addressed the progress of the rehabilitation works at the 4th August Stadium in a statement on Friday, March 1st, 2024. According to him, a new impetus has been given to this matter, with the goal of having the stadium delivered before its 40th anniversary, scheduled for August 2024.

From the outset, the minister criticized the terms of the initial agreement on the normalization of the stadium, noting that the contract was originally awarded for rehabilitation and that the issue of normalization came later, questioning certain aspects of the contract. He also lamented the lack of consultations with CAF consultants before starting the work.

Boubakar Savadogo described the situation of the 4th August Stadium as « very painful » explaining that modifications were underway following recommendations from a CAF consultant. He stated that schedules were being set to ensure that the stadium would be ready before its anniversary.

Meanwhile, discussions are ongoing regarding the costs associated with renting external stadiums for the Stallions’ matches, with efforts to minimize expenses by exploring options such as playing near Ivory Coast. However, several factors, including concerns about stadium compliance, are influencing these decisions.

The 4th August Stadium in Ouagadougou has been suspended since March 2021 for non-compliance with CAF and FIFA standards, forcing the Stallions to play their matches abroad, mainly in Morocco.

Sadia Nyaoré