Source:REUTERS/JEAN CARNIEL
[Saba Sports News] To celebrate Independence Day, Angola will play a friendly match against Argentina in mid-November. Reports indicate the government is paying approximately 12 million euros for the match. African media reports that several Angolan civil organizations have expressed “deep indignation and serious concern” over the Angolan government’s massive expenditures on renovating the national stadium and inviting the Argentine team. They label these actions as “mismanagement of public resources” and an “inversion of national priorities.” In a joint open letter, organizations including the Angolan Lutheran Development Association (ALDA), Associacao Omunga, the Observatory for Social Cohesion and Justice, Associacao UYELE, and Friends of Angola (FOA) pointed out: Disclosed information suggests the Angolan government spent between approximately 8.6 million and 10.4 million euros on the friendly match with the Argentine national team, in addition to investing about 11.75 million euros for the second phase of stadium renovations. These Angolan civil organizations criticized the government for spending huge sums on symbolic events during such a severe socio-economic period: “The total estimated cost of this event is clearly inconsistent with the grave socio-economic realities facing the country. In a nation where the official minimum wage is 100,000 Kwanza (approx. 94 euros) and a significant portion of the population earns less, public services remain in an extremely poor state. This practice is an insult to the principles of social justice, public accountability, and good governance, illustrating a vast disconnect between government decision-making and the actual needs of the Angolan people.”