Baba Yara Sports Stadium ready for Ghana-Sudan AFCON qualifier - NSA board chair

The board chairman of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Seth Panwum, has announced that the Baba Yara Stadium is prepared to host the Black Stars of Ghana’s African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Sudan.

He noted that significant renovations have been made to the pitch, resulting in considerable improvements.

Panwum expressed confidence that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) officials will approve the venue for Black Stars matches if an inspection is conducted.

“CAF said we should do major work on the pitch, which we have admitted and are doing. Even now, if they come back, given the speed of the work we have done, they can pass us to use it [Baba Yara Stadium] for the next game.

“But per their rules, we need to give them the briefing so that subsequently we can write to them again to come and relook at the pitch and assess it and give us the green light. I must say it’s very unfortunate that we have gotten here,” he said during a meeting with the Parliamentary Select Committee on Sports.

This follows CAF's decision to withdraw approval for the Baba Yara Stadium due to issues such as an uneven playing field, poor drainage, and insufficient grass cover.

This decision came after the Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying match between Ghana and Angola on September 5, 2024.

SB/EK