NSA declares Baba Yara stadium unfit for football, plans urgent renovations
The National Sports Authority (NSA) has expressed serious concerns regarding the condition of Baba Yara Sports Stadium, with Director-General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah stating that the facility is currently unfit to host any football matches, not even “colts football.”
His assessment came after an inspection of the stadium on Thursday, July 31, as discussions about a necessary revamp are underway.
“The state of the pitch at the moment, you cannot even play colts football on it,” Mr. Ankrah emphasized, while attributing some of the deterioration to unfavorable weather conditions across the country in recent weeks.
The last competitive match held at the stadium took was in June, when Asante Kotoko hosted Medeama SC during Week 33 of the Ghana Premier League. The Porcupine Warriors are particularly anxious about the readiness their home turf for the upcoming season set to kicks off on September 12.
However, the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA) remains hopeful about hosting the Top 4 competition at Baba Yara, scheduled for August 20.
“Kotoko officially wrote to us just over a week ago. They wish to use this venue, but as we can all see, we need to make sure everything is in perfect condition before that can be done,” Ankrah noted
To address the situation, the NSA Director-General called for collective action, urging stakeholders to “put our act together, join forces, and make sure it happens.” He added that experts have provided a timeline for the necessary renovations, and he stressed the importance of working diligently to meet or even beat that deadline.
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