Derek Boateng urges GFA to work on getting better pitches for Black Stars

Former Ghana midfielder Derek Boateng has criticised the Ghana Football Association (GFA) as the Black Stars struggle to find a venue for their next home match in the qualifiers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

CAF recently withdrew its approval of the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, making it ineligible to host the upcoming match between Ghana and Sudan in the qualifiers.

While the country looks for a solution, Derek Boateng believes the Ghana FA must be blamed, accusing the association of obsessing over money instead of putting things in place.

“The FA needs to wake up and do something because this is their job. They need to make sure that all the fields are good for the players to play. The only thing they care about, for me I will say it and say it every single day, is money.

"We have players in Europe playing on good fields. They will come and play on a bad pitch here, and you expect them to perform and win games. If the win is not coming, then it will be a problem,” Derek Boateng said in an interview with 3Sports.

The former Black Stars midfielder continued, “The FA people know what it means for a player to perform well, so you can’t tell me that Thomas Partey will play on Arsenal's field and then come to Ghana. I’m not asking for the field to be the same as Arsenal's, but at least it should be better.

“If the FA cares about football, they should make sure these things are done before the players come. It’s sad we are in this kind of situation. Ghana now has to find a field to play their home games. We are too much for that. For me, the FA needs to wake up and do something about it.”

In the latest development regarding the stadium dilemma, the National Sports Authority has assured that the Cape Coast Stadium and the Accra Sports Stadium are ready to host the Ghana vs. Sudan game in October.