Nigeria set to upgrade Football Pitches to Moroccan standards within 18 months – Pinnick

Former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President Amaju Pinnick has announced plans to upgrade football pitches across the country to match the standards seen in Morocco within the next 18 months.

Pinnick revealed that the same experts responsible for building Morocco’s highly praised stadium pitches are currently in Nigeria and actively involved in ongoing projects.

According to him, several key football venues are undergoing major renovations as part of a broader push to modernise the nation’s sports infrastructure.

“The people who built those pitches in Morocco are in Nigeria right now,” Pinnick said.

He highlighted Warri Township Stadium in Delta State as one of the major sites under transformation, describing the project as a complete overhaul.

Pinnick added that he visited the stadium just days earlier and believed it would soon rank among the best facilities in the country.

The former NFF boss explained that the plan initially covers at least four pitches, with the number expected to rise to five or six within the projected 18-month timeline.

Locations mentioned include two facilities in Bayelsa State, one of which is a newly constructed stadium, Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos, the National Stadium in Lagos, and a possible project in Abuja.

“Between the next one and a half years, we’ll have about five or six of those pitches in Nigeria,” Pinnick said.

Nigeria’s football infrastructure has long been criticised, with poor pitch conditions affecting domestic competitions and international fixtures.

In contrast, Morocco has earned widespread praise for its stadium facilities, particularly following major tournaments such as the 2022 FIFA World Cup and recent Africa Cup of Nations events.

Pinnick, who served as NFF president from 2014 to 2022 and currently sits on the FIFA Council.