'They don't want to play Kwasi Appiah in Kumasi' - Dan Kwaku Yeboah's conspiracy theory on Baba Yara ban

The ban on the Baba Yara Sports Stadium by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has birthed a number of conspiracy stories as Ghanaians strive to understand how one of Africa’s leading football countries could suffer such a humiliating fate.

The latest conspiracy theory comes from ace sports broadcaster Dan Kwaku Yeboah, who alleges that some of the activities that ultimately resulted in the withdrawal of the conditional approval for the stadium to be used by CAF were plotted.

Speaking on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo program, Dan Kwaku Yeboah alleged that shortly after Ghana’s defeat to Angola, which witnessed a number of infractions from the supporters, a high-ranking individual in the Ghanaian football space called to have a conversation with him.

Disclosing details of the conversation, Kwaku Yeboah claimed that elements within the football fraternity were concerned that playing Sudan, who are coached by Kwasi Appiah, at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium could be counterproductive. Thus, certain measures ought to be instituted to ensure that Ghana suffers a CAF ban before the next round of AFCON qualifiers.

Kwaku Yeboah said he initially doubted the allegations, but events in the aftermath of the game have given him reasons to believe those claims.

“After the Angola game, somebody within the football fraternity called me and made some allegations which I’m tempted to believe. The person asked me that in my lifetime of covering Ghanaian football, I haven’t noticed Kumasi as a well-behaved center when it comes to Ghana matches? He asked me when was the last time the police watched unconcerned as supporters misbehaved at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.

“He told me that there was a deliberate attempt to get the Kumasi venue banned so that we will not play Kwasi Appiah in Kumasi. The notion is that because Kwasi Appiah is from Kumasi, he will enjoy great support from Kumasi and that will be disgraceful for Ghana. I didn’t believe it initially when the person said it, but recent events make me want to believe it,” he said.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Tuesday, September 11, 2024, the prohibition of Ghana’s Baba Yara Stadium from hosting international matches.

The ban follows the country’s inability to maintain the stadium, and as a result, Ghana is likely to play its home matches at neutral venues, with Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and others being mentioned as possible destinations.

EK