The Ministry of Youth and Sports has directed the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to seek approval from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for the use of Accra Sports Stadium and the University of Ghana Sports Stadium as venues for the Black Stars’ upcoming home match in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
This directive follows CAF’s decision to ban the Baba Yara Stadium due to its poor condition, leaving Ghana with few venue options.
As a result, the country may need to play its next match against Sudan in October in neighbouring countries like Togo, Nigeria, or Ivory Coast.
In response, the Sports Ministry has issued a statement urging the GFA to request an inspection of the two stadiums, noting that “most issues have been resolved” at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The Ministry also highlighted the need for CAF to assess the newly constructed University of Ghana Sports Stadium.
The statement read: “The Minister has further instructed the Ghana Football Association to immediately request CAF to inspect the Accra Sports Stadium and the newly-built University of Ghana stadium, for approval as Category 3 match venues, for use by the Black Stars in its next international match in October.
The Ministry emphasized that previous concerns raised by CAF during an earlier inspection of the Accra Sports Stadium have been largely addressed, and while the University of Ghana Stadium has hosted CAF Category 2 matches, it still requires an official inspection to meet the standards for Category 3 venues, per CAF regulations.
Additionally, the Ministry has tasked the National Sports Authority with resolving issues related to the pitch at Baba Yara Stadium.
The University of Ghana Stadium has recently hosted events like the 13th African Games in March and the WAFU Zone B U-17 tournament in May, while the Accra Sports Stadium regularly serves as a home venue for Accra-based Ghana Premier League teams and clubs participating in CAF Inter-club competitions, such as FC Samartex and Nsoatreman FC.
READ ALSO