In Order to Ensure International Standard Quality: Delivery of General Mathieu Kerekou Friendship Stadium Delayed

The General Mathieu Kerekou Friendship Stadium (GMK), currently undergoing extensive renovation, will not be ready to host international matches before March 2025, Benin government spokesman Wilfried Léandre Houngbedji announced at a press conference.

The renovation work currently includes structural and technical improvements to meet the requirements of continental and international bodies, and fans and sports officials want the team back on the pitch, but the government sees it as important that they deliver high quality work to ensure the sustainability of sports facilities.

“The stadium will not be ready by March,” Houngbedji explained. “When we started work, I explained that it would take at least five months to complete part of the work, after which there would be other phases to ensure that all the required standards are met. Once the resources are allocated, the work should be completed to the fullest.”

During that period, the Cheetahs will continue to play their international matches at the Stade Félix Houphouët Boigny in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, according to Houngbedji: “We will play at Félicia, which brings us luck, hoping that one day the stadiums of Kerekou, Akpakpa, Porto-Novo and Parakou will bring us the same luck.”