NSA closes down Baba Yara Stadium for one month
The National Sports Authority (NSA) has closed the Baba Yara Sports Stadium for maintenance until the next round of international matches.
The stadium will be opened for Ghana’s next home match on October 7, 2024.
On Thursday, it hosted Ghana’s 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Angola, and its playing surface was criticised by coaches and fans.
The NSA is now expected to engage Asante Kotoko to find an alternative venue for their Ghana Premier League matches as soon as possible.
The Porcupine Warriors are scheduled to travel for their matchday one fixture at the Naa Sheriga Sports Stadium, where they will face Karela United.
However, their second game will not take place at the Baba Yara Stadium, which was heavily criticised by Angola coach Pedro Gonçalves due to the poor quality of the playing surface.
“We always tried to play football, but the pitch was difficult,” Gonçalves said. “A country like Ghana deserves a better stadium, a better pitch for football. They have such talented players.”
Although Otto Addo, Ghana’s coach, did not attribute the loss—which ended Ghana’s 24-year unbeaten record at the stadium—to the pitch, he acknowledged its poor condition.
“I don’t want to blame the loss on the pitch, even though it wasn’t in good shape,” Addo remarked. “Against the Central African Republic, the pitch was also poor, but we managed to win. We simply have to do better.”
Majeed Bawa, Deputy Director General of the NSA, seemed to echo Addo’s sentiment in defence of the stadium.
“Are they suggesting that the Angolans were playing in the sky? They are all footballers,” he questioned during an interview on Asempa FM.
“Those they assembled to play against the Black Stars are professionals, just like our team. They all played on the same pitch. CAF inspected and approved the pitch for the game.”
Despite this defence, the NSA has decided to close the facility until October for maintenance and to repair structures vandalised by irate fans following Thursday night’s match.