The Sekondi Sports Stadium at Essipong which was built by the Chinese at a cost of $38.4 million to host the 2008 edition of the Africa Nations Cup is fast deteriorating for lack of an elaborate maintenance scheme.
The facility appears ready to serve as venue for Sekondi Hasaacas’ Premier League campaign this year, but behind a façade of that readiness is the corrosion and crumbling of some of the structures as well as the sewerage systems that were built to provide allied services to the facility.
A careful observation by Graphic Sports at Essipon last week exposed the complete lack of maintenance and the shoddy work by the Chinese who executed the project together with their local sub-contractors.
Among the structures crying for rehabilitation are parts of the roofs which are being held by metallic clips that have gone rusty due to the corrosive effect of the sea and could no longer hold the roof.
The roofs have served as ambience for fans particularly on sunny afternoons, but due to the weak props part of it were blown off last week by strong winds creating a big crater between them.
That aside, the standby power generator at the stadium has not been maintained and the filters that were in it since its installation in 2008 have not been changed.
The wash rooms, the changing rooms for match officials and the dressing rooms are in a complete state of disrepair as all the fittings imported from China, including toilet bowls, wooden doors and frames have all deteriorated, while some of the doors to these facilities have been removed and packed into an open space.
A visitor at the facility is greeted by a repugnant stench emanating from the dressing room and the choked drains created by the heaps of gravel which have caved in as a result of shoddy works by local contractors, who were expected to complete the sewerage system. Consequently, the area surrounding the stadium is often flooded after a heavy downpour.
The walls of the stadium depicts a picture of 
neglect as they has not seen painting since the facility was inaugurated in 2008, the grey colour has turned to brown, while some of the pipes carrying rain water from the roof to the drains on the ground have fallen off and gathered dust.
Sources at the stadium disclosed that funds for routine maintenance work have not been forthcoming, even after former Minister of Youth and Sports, Hon. Clement Kofi Humado, visited the facility last year and was made aware of the problems and promised to “do something about it”.
Story & Pictures: Moses Dotsey Akrobortu, Sekondi
Graphic Sports/graphic.com.gh/Ghana
