Kotoko returns to Baba Yara by end of March – NSA
Ghana Premier League giant, Asante Kotoko SC, will soon return to its official home ground, Baba Yara Sports stadium, for the rest of the ongoing 2020/21 league season.
The Kumasi-based club as well as other clubs using the venue, upon the start of the season lost the right to host their home fixtures at the stadium following its closure in February last year for renovation by the National Sports Authority.
Kotoko as a result have had to use the Accra Sports Stadium as their home grounds.
CEO of the club, Nana Yaw Amponsah made a plea to the authorities to speed up the process to enable the team to return to their home venue.
In response, the Director-General of the National Sports Authority, Professor Peter Twumasi. urged the club to be patient as renovation works are at an advanced stage and assured its completion by March.
“We are hoping by the end of March the job will be completed and handed over to the NSA”, he disclosed in an interview with Accra based Happy FM.
“The major problem was the pitch and that has been worked on. Since 2007 no renovation work had been done. We are waiting for the grass to grow and get better. The seats have all been put in place, the floodlights, scoreboard, tartans tracks are ready”.
“The contract was a one-year contract and we are hoping by March ending the contractor should be done. We are pleading with Kotoko to be patient with us. The work will be completed soon”, he added.
The Porcupine Warriors, following their knockout from the Caf Confederation Cup over the weekend, have all to play for in the league if they could make amends after the painful exit.
Meanwhile, the club will continue to play matches without fans at the stadium after Ghana Football Association made a U-turn with their earlier decision to allow 25% of supporters into the various stadia on match day.
The decision became necessary following the surge in covid cases being recorded in the country.
The team currently sit at the 4th position on the league table with two games outstanding games to play after matchday 15.