By George Ernest Asare, Kumasi
WHEN the clouds started gathering around the Asokwa end of the Baba Yara Sports Stadium around 2 pm on Sunday, May 11, 2008, the numerous Kotoko fans who were hungry for honour ignored it and continued buying their tickets.
They were very much aware that clouds gathering, especially thick black clouds, at the Asokwa end of the stadium, was a sure recipe for a heavy downpour. However they fully concentrated on the massive tickets purchased at the various gates.
Ticket buying
The ticket buying was to afford them the opportunity to watch live the second leg titanic CAF Confederation cup match qualifier, involving their idol club, Kumasi Asante Kotoko and their counterparts, Dolphins of Nigeria.
Two weeks earlier in their first leg clash, the Dolphins had scored Kotoko 2-0 in Nigeria, and this placed a huge pressure on the Porcupine Warriors to outshine and outscore their opponents to ensure their passage into the last stage of the qualifying rounds to enter into the group stages, which is also the money zone of the Cup Confederation competition.
A few weeks earlier, Kumasi Asante Kotoko had dismissed Wikki Tourists, another Nigeria side in the CAF Confederation cup 6-3 on aggregate, to book a date with Dolphins, who had sworn thunder and lightning to ditch Kotoko from the competition.
It was, therefore, not surprising that the fans, having won the respect and confidence of Kotoko since the beginning of the premier league and the participation of Kotoko in the CAF confederation cup, were eager to be part of the demolition exercise that Kotoko intended to carry against Dolphins at their favourite Baba Yara Sports Stadium.
Cloud
When the match got underway at 3pm, the cloud was still gathering and becoming darker and darker, but the spectators, having secured their tickets, continued to pour into the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in their numbers.
The confidence of the fans in ignoring the clouds stemmed from the fact that they had been assured of the technical expertise of Consar Limited, Kumasi-based building and civil engineering contractors who undertook the reconstruction of the Baba Yara Sports Stadium and put in place measures to prevent any flooding when it rains.
Before the handing over of the project to the government, the management of Consar had assured the pubic that adequate measures had been put in place to ensure that the pitch absorbed as much water as possible anytime it rained.
So it was to become part of the success story of Kotoko and be able to give a testimony of the performance of the players that the fans ignored the thick black clouds forming and continued to fill the stands, chanting the praises of the Kotoko players and encouraging them to die a little for the club to edge out the Nigerians from the competition.
Rains
When the it started drizzling midway into the game, as was expected after Kotoko had taken a 1-0 lead, the fans were still glued to their seats, unmindful of the defensive tactics and time-wasting attitude that the Dolphins had adopted as a strategy to cage the Porcupine Warriors, taking into consideration the 2-0 lead they took in the first leg.
By the end of the first half, the rains were pouring heavily as if the gates of heaven had just opened, and this took a toll on the fans because most of them were totally drenched and had, therefore, not only vacated their seats, but also taken refuge at secluded areas at the stadium.
For the pitch itself, the least said about it the better. This is because the rate at which the rains fell was far greater than the absorption capacity, so pools of water started collecting, creating problems for the players and preventing them from displaying their skills and potential.
Swimming pool
At the beginning of the second half, a mini-lagoon had been created at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium and players like Harrison Afful, Jordan Opoku, Samuel Inkoom and Prince Anokye, who had displayed great talents in the course of the game, attempted swimming in the pool, creating much fun out of the Herculean task ahead of them.
Disappointment was written on the faces of the numerous Kotoko fans and that of the Dolphins, when after the referee had inspected the pitch, he indicated that the match had been postponed.
To the fans, it was a double agony. This was because the lone goal that Kotoko had scored would not count the next day and they also had to pay to watch the match again. It was, therefore, not surprising that the fans started criticising the technical expertise of Consar, describing it as ordinary.
To them, their decision to ignore the black clouds and watch Kotoko’s match, even in the rains, had become a fiasco. This was because, the newly constructed Baba Yara Sports Stadium “was just like the old one demolished in 2006 to pave way for Consar Limited to display its technical expertise.”
Fears
When Graphic Nsempa got in touch with Consar Limited, the Quantity Surveyor of the firm, Miss Nada Majdoub, allayed the fears of the fans to the effect that Consar Limited faulted in its expertise in developing a waterproof pitch.
“ The system is the best, but it has its limitations” she noted, adding that “ the inflow of rains onto the pitch due to the torrential rainfall on May 11, 2008, was far greater than the outflow into the system, hence the pockets of water collected, rendering the pitch ineffective for the match to continue.”
She pointed out that a good drainage system, perhaps one of the best at any stadium the world over, was developed, and when it was tested before the handing over, “ the absorption capacity was perfect, indicating that the PVC pipes and absorption system were of high standard, and could absorb as much water as possible.”
Measures
“ We took adequate measures of high technological standard to ensure that the pitch drained very well, but this time, the rains were too heavy, and the materials could not absorb them as quickly as the rains fell,” She explained further.
Miss Majdoud dismissed the assertion that the pitch needed to be redeveloped to prevent future flooding and said “the technology was perfect, but the rains that day were exceptionally heavy. The system needs a little time to drain all the water, so in future, flooding may not occur.”
She assured everyone that Consar was also monitoring the maintenance of the pitch on daily basis to ensure that it lives up to expectations, stressing that with the system put in place, the Baba Yara Sports Stadium will carry out its core function in a more effective and efficient way.
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