CAF President slams Ghana, other countries over stadium ban

Patrick Motsepe, the President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), has lashed out at Ghana and other countries that received stadium bans due to their failure to maintain their existing stadiums.

Addressing a press conference in Nairobi, Kenya, the CAF president said he was frustrated with the situation and could not understand how countries could be forced to play home matches on foreign soil due to a lack of world-class football infrastructure.

Patrick Motsepe stated that the players and clubs of national teams tend to suffer the consequences of these inactions by their governments.

“Nothing frustrates me more than a national team or club side having to play home matches outside.

“You can’t grow football if the national teams or club sides aren’t playing in front of their home fans.

“Our conversations in every country are to make sure there is at least one stadium capable of hosting a CAF category C game,” he said.

Last week, CAF announced that it had withdrawn the conditional approval for the Baba Yara Sports Stadium to host Black Stars matches.

CAF, in a statement to the GFA, mentioned the poor nature of the pitch, drainage, and other issues as the basis for the decision to withdraw the approval.

As a result of the ban, Ghana is likely to face Sudan in a crucial AFCON qualifying doubleheader in October, with Togo or Côte d’Ivoire being the likely venue for Ghana’s home leg in the fixture.

TWI NEWS

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