Renovation work to bring the Barea Stadium up to standard will begin in September. The project aims to meet the requirements of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to secure official homologation.
During a press conference at the Barea Stadium, held to honor the Malagasy U18 women’s volleyball team—crowned Zone 7 champions—and the silver-medal-winning boys’ team, Alain Désiré Rasambany, Minister of Youth and Sports, provided details on the planned stadium upgrades.
“The work will focus on the changing rooms of the annex field, the stands, and the access stairs. However, the pitch is the most delicate part of the project, given the technical requirements set by the CAF for homologation,” the minister stated.
Several parts of the infrastructure will be involved in this new phase of standardization, with special attention paid to the turf. The goal is to allow Madagascar to host its international home matches again as soon as possible.
The companies responsible for these works will be selected at the end of the month following the evaluation of bids from a restricted tender. The process will be supervised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Procurement Commission.
For Alain Désiré Rasambany, the choice of the company in charge of the pitch is critical. “The company selected for this operation must have proven experience and must have already installed pitches validated by the CAF for projects similar to Mahamasina,” he explained.
This requirement aims to minimize the risk of non-compliance and ensure the installation meets the standards of the African governing body. The selected company will work closely with CAF representatives to identify and follow the required conditions step by step.
CAF representatives will monitor the work from the start to ensure compliance with pitch standards. This supervision is intended to avoid potential corrections at the end of the project and to ensure the infrastructure’s compliance progressively.
The entire project is scheduled for completion in 2026. The stakes go beyond simple stadium renovation: Madagascar wants to regain the ability to host its opponents at home in an approved venue.
The Minister of Youth and Sports is confident about achieving this goal. “The objective is for Madagascar to be able to host the match against Nigeria, at least within the framework of the AFCON 2027 qualifiers. The hope of obtaining homologation is real, and I dare say we will get it,” he declared.
If the schedule is respected and CAF requirements are applied, the Barea Stadium could regain its status as an approved venue to host Madagascar’s international matches within a few months.
Captured & Published at: 2026-08-20 05:54:26 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/08/football-stade-barea-les-travaux-de-la.html