The Confederation of African Football body CAF has directed the national team of Rwanda Amavubi to play a home match away in Benin, Rwanda Dispatch has learnt.
The Amavubi, who are in Cotonou for the first leg slated for Wednesday 22 March, will now play both legs of the Group L encounter in the opponent’s territory.
CAF had granted Rwanda a one-off permission to host Benin in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers return match at Huye Stadium, on Monday next week, but that has since been revoked due to lack of proper accommodation facilities in the area.
“Please note that CAF has received a formal complaint from the Benin Football Federation in relation to the lack of available minimum 4-star international rating hotels facilities to accommodate the teams and officials in the aforementioned venue,” a statement from CAF reads.
“Despite our prior communication on the matter, the reported situation has not improved and the existing hotel facilities do not comply with the required standards,” it further reads.
Rwanda was amongst 25 nations, including Kenya and Uganda, who were banned by CAF from hosting senior international A matches for lack of standard stadiums.
One of the stadiums that hosted the CHAN, Nyamirambi in the outskirts of Kigali, was recently renamed Pele Stadium in a ceremony attended by FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
The recent development is thus a sharp contrast to what is widely reported about the country’s sporting infrastructure.
