Stadiums are meant for sporting activities, not musical concerts – Talensi MP tells NSA

Member of Parliament for the Talensi Constituency in the Northern Region, Benson Tongo Baba, has reacted to the decision of the National Sports Authority (NSA) to close down the Accra Sports Stadium for football clubs to make way for the December musical concerts.

In November 2023, the National Sports Authority announced that Hearts of Oak, Great Olympics, and all other Ghana Premier League clubs that use the Accra Sports Stadium will not be able to use the facility as it has been closed down.

The decision was heavily criticised by the sporting community, and according to Benson Tongo Baba, the NSA aired the decision to give the facility out for musical concerts at the expense of football because the facility was specifically built for sporting events.

“I have pointed out to the NSA that the stadiums were constructed to promote sports-related activities. Not a while ago, the Accra Sports Stadium was given out for concerts, and I want to know if that is part of their mandate.”

“NSA, supposed to promote sports, chose to deny Accra Hearts of Oak the use of that venue for that crucial game against Asante Kotoko. Both teams have lost revenue as a result of not allowing Hearts of Oak to play on their traditional home ground, and I want the Minister to put them in check,” Benson Tongo Baba said on the floor of Parliament.