It's embarrassing - Randy Abbey bemoans state of El-Wak Sports Stadium

Ace Ghanaian sports administrator, Dr Randy Abbey has revealed the feeling of upset and repugnance that filled him when he sighted pictures of the El-Wak Sports Stadium.

The president of Kpando Hearts of Lions said he was embarrassed hugely when a friend sent him videos of the stadium following Accra Academy’s conquest in the relay event of an inter-school athletics competition.

Dr Randy Abbey said that his disgust got more intense when he visited the facility months later during a game between Hearts of Lions and another team.

The media personality questioned why Accra’s only multi-sports facility has been left in ruins.

According to him, the failure of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and National Sports Authority has placed the Ghana Football Association in an uncomfortable situation where they had to disqualify certain grounds for Ghana Premier League actions.

“I will tell you two things that made me embarrassed as a Ghanaian. With the reconstruction of the Ohene Djan Stadium, the tartan tracks were taken off to make for more space. In the entirety of the Greater Accra Region, it was left with El-Wak as the facility for track and field activities.

“A few months ago, a sports-loving friend of mine said the Accra Academy relay team had won a race so he sent the video to me. So I asked so this is the track that secondary schools are having their inter-co on? This is the tartan track at El-Wak. This is what the schools and athletes in Greater Accra are using.

“For the football field itself, last season we (Hearts of Lions) we played a game there and I couldn’t believe that that was the pitch. Months later I went there again and I couldn’t believe it. The GFA is having to bend the rules to allow it,” he said.

The issue of maintenance of stadiums has become topical in recent days following the disqualification of the Cape Coast Stadium as good grounds for CAF-sanctioned matches.

CAF released a statement that the stadium does not meet the minimum requirements to host senior international matches including CAF inter-club group stage games.

According to the release, CAF says several areas in the stadium require an uplift and renovation in accordance with the CAF requirements.



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