Overseas venue for Ghana matches a national embarrassment — Stephen Appiah
Former captain of the Ghana Black Stars, Stephen Appiah, has expressed dismay over Ghana’s need to seek a venue outside the country to play the next set of AFCON qualifier games.
This comes after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) rejected the Baba Yara Sports Stadium due to subpar standards.
Appiah took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his opinion, emphasizing the importance of protecting Ghana’s national pride.
He stated, “Playing a qualifier outside Ghana, except in a tournament, is a national embarrassment. We must prioritise hosting our own games and protecting our football pride.” 
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has instructed the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to immediately request the inspection of the Accra Sports Stadium and the University of Ghana Complex by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to be used as football match venues.
This move aims to secure approval for the two venues as CAF Category 3 match venues, following the ban against the use of the Baba Yara Stadium for football activities due to the pitch.
This move aims to secure approval for the two venues as CAF Category 3 match venues, following the ban against the use of the Baba Yara Stadium for football activities due to the pitch.
According to a statement released by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Accra Sports Stadium has addressed most of the issues previously identified by CAF, hence the call for an inspection of the stadium while the University of Ghana stadium has hosted CAF Category 2 matches but requires inspection for consideration as a Category 3 match venue.
The GFA is expected to swiftly request CAF’s independent inspectors to assess the two stadiums, ensuring Ghana has suitable venues for upcoming international matches.