Accra, Essipong stadia were not closed down due to poor conditions - Ablekuma North MP

The Member of Parliament for Ablekuma North Constituency, Sheila Bartels, has denied reports that the Baba Yara and Accra stadia were closed down due to the poor state of the facilities.

According to her, the stadia were not in an extremely bad state as believed by some individuals but were shut down for normal renovation works to take place.

The MP stated that the situation applies to the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, which is undergoing rehabilitation works to improve its state for football activities.

“The Essipong and Accra stadiums were closed off due to ongoing renovations, not because they were in poor condition. The Baba Yara Stadium was actually in good condition, but the unfortunate incident of renting it out to a church and allowing them to trample on it is what caused the embarrassment.

"The National Sports Authority always has clients they approach for business because they have to rent the stadiums out in order to generate revenue to sustain operations,” she said during an interview with Starr FM and shared by GHOne TV on X.

However, Bartels has been criticised by some individuals on social media for defending the government over its failure to ensure sporting authorities renovate various national stadia in the country.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF), following swift renovation works, granted temporary approval for the Accra Sports Stadium to host the Black Stars’ match against Sudan in the 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers on October 10, 2025.

Watch the tweets below:

The Essipong Stadium and Accra Sports Stadium were closed for renovations, not due to poor condition... - Sheila Bartels (Ablekuma North MP) #GHOneNews #EIBNetwork #NPP #GHOneTV #ElectionHub #NDC pic.twitter.com/aH9Lp5C7ka

— GHOne TV (@ghonetv) October 4, 2024

#GHOneNews #GHOneTV#EIBNetwork #ElectionHub#StarrFM pic.twitter.com/5GyLkDWywB

— GHOne TV (@ghonetv) October 4, 2024

SB/AE