In a stunning action that has exposed the appalling state of Ghana football infrastructure, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Tuesday, September 11, 2024, barred the country’s only authorized stadiuM.
The National Sports Authority (NSA) has been ignoring the facility for years, leaving the continent’s governing body, CAF, with no choice but to ban it from holding premier international matches.
This is a huge black mark on the nation’s administration for completely ignoring numerous complaints about the state of the Baba Yara stadium.
This ruling comes after a number of technical violations that were noticed during Ghana’s and Angola’s recent September 5, 2024, Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match.
The poor state of the playing surface is the main issue brought up by CAF inspectors.
With a seating capacity of more over 40,000, the stadium’s pitch has seen considerable degradation due to uneven surfaces, inadequate grass cover, and poor drainage.
Due to these deficiencies, the stadium does not meet CAF regulations’ requirements for hosting Category 3 international matches.
CAF has previously voiced issues with Ghanaian stadiums.
The letter from CAF lists earlier alerts about the condition of Accra Sports Stadium, Cape Coast Stadium, and Baba Yara Stadium.
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) is in a difficult situation because there aren’t any substitute locations that fit CAF’s Category 3 requirements.
In order to remedy the situation, CAF has asked the GFA to find an appropriate location outside of Ghana for the next Matchdays 3 and 4 of the Morocco 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Due to the Baba Yara Stadium’s noncompliance with the new order, Ghana will now have to host games elsewhere.
CAF has encouraged the Ghanaian authorities to conduct a thorough evaluation of all major international stadiums to verify compliance with their technical criteria, highlighting the need of changes.
As part of this assistance, a seasoned pitch consultant with experience in significant international events like AFCON will be available to provide professional advice on the necessary repairs.
The GFA would pay for this consultant’s services.
After the renovations are finished, CAF has promised to reevaluate the Baba Yara Stadium’s suitability for future games by undertaking an independent assessment at the GFA’s request and expense.
The Baba Yara Stadium has to be upgraded as soon as possible in order to return it to its former splendor, and the GFA has admitted this and promised to work with the government on this.
Ghana would have to look for alternate locations outside of the nation for their next international matches in October because of this development.
The recently renovated TnA Stadium in the mining town of Tarkwa is under consideration by the Ghana Football Association (GFA), which is currently searching for a new location. Other options include neighboring La Cote D’voire, Togo.
