Oviri Kelvin, Sports Editor, Abuja
Kano Pillars play Katsina United this Saturday at the Sani Abacha stadium after over two years away from home.
This is coming on the heels of the League Management Company (LMC) granting provisional approval to use the Sani Abacha Stadium after it acknowledged the receipt of club’s letter on April 1, 2022, The Trumpet gathered.
In the LMC response dated 12 April, 2022, the letter tagged: “RE: CERTIFICATION OF STADIA: SANI ABACHA STADIUM KANO” reads: “We acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 1 April 2022, informing us that the Kano State Govenment has made funds avalable for the urgent replacement of the playing turf, and also requesting for a provisional leave to return to the Sani Abacha Stadium, pending the mobilization and commencement of turf replacement project.
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“Be informed that after due consideration of your request, the League Management Company is granting Kano Pillars FC provisional clearance to temporarily return to the Sani Abacha Stadium for your home matches, pending the commencement of replacement works on the playing turf.
“You are however required to immediately propose an alternate ground where you ill revert your remaining home matches when the turf replacement project commences at the Sani Abacha Stadium. Note further, that you are required to make instant improvements to the current condition to the playing turf, to make fit for purpose pending the commencement of the project.
“The above is for your information and consequent action,” the letter stated.
Meanwhile, the club management had in the 2019/2020 season suspended all local matches from the stadium following the poor state of the stadium facilities.
According to the club in 2019, it appealed to the Kano state government to renovate the stadium to meet the standard approved by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for the 2019/2020 African Champions League.
The statement read in part: “The association, in this wise, wants to appeal to the Kano State Government to put more efforts into renovating the stadium to meet the CAF standard before the competition begins.”
Following the appeal by the club, the Kano State House of Assembly in October 2021 adopted a motion moved by the House Committee Chairman on Sports, Nurudeen Alhassan, calling on the state government to put the stadium into shape.
Supporting the club’s appeal in 2021, the honourable member representing Kiru state constituency, Alhaji Kabiru Dashi described the predicaments of Kano Pillars as pathetic noting the players have been subjected to play all their 2020/2021 games in Kaduna due to the coronavirus facilities Sani Abacha stadium has.
However, Kano Pillars’ last game at the Sani Abacha Stadium was on March 15, 2020, which ended in a 2-0 win over Jigawa Golden Stars.
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