Former Communications Director for the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Ibrahim Saanie Daara has described various playing surfaces in Ghana as “weeds”.
The Baba Yara Stadium, which remains the country’s only stadium approved to host international games has been banned by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) due to it “unsuitable playing field.”
The decision by CAF means the senior national team, the Black Stars cannot play the remaining games of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers at home and will have to resort to playing away from home.
Reacting to the unfortunate situation the country finds itself in, Sannie Daara speaking to Joy News said, “I am sorry to say that we’ve relied on local companies to deliver on what we call pitches but to be honest, a lot of what I have seen having officiated matches in Ghana compared to others, I would say what we have in Ghana are just weeds instead of pitches.
“I find it baffling that in a country where we have most of the top-class international inspectors, I don’t know why we cannot count on the expertise of these people to give us the right advice.
“CAF is now being stringent on countries that don’t have stadiums suitable to host international matches. Those days when any wishy-washy pitch could pass is long gone. There are more than 15 countries now playing away from their home,” Sannie Daara, who now works as a CAF Media Officer added.
Meanwhile, the Ministry has instructed the National Sports Authority (NSA), responsible for facility upkeep, to address issues with the pitch at Baba Yara Stadium.
The Accra and Cape Coast stadia have been closed down for renovation works. The Black Stars will take on Kwesi Appiah’s Sudan in a doubleheader of the qualifiers scheduled for next month.
Ghana, who sit 3rd in Group F after two games will host the Falcons in a yet-to-be-decided venue before travelling for the return leg at the Al-Merrikh Stadium.
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