Baba Yara Stadium declared ‘not ready’ to host competitive games

Club Licensing Manager for the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Esme Mends, has said the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, in its current state, isn’t fit to host any competitive game.

According to him, though, the National Sports Authority (NSA) is working tirelessly to ensure the stadium is ready for Ghana’s upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Angola.

The Black Stars will face the Southern African nation in Kumasi on September 5 as they aim to make a bright start to the AFCON qualifiers.

But while the Baba Yara Sports Stadium remains Ghana’s only approved venue for such high-profile matches, the pitch is currently in a bad state.

NSA in race against time to make Baba Yara Stadium ready

Reacting to this, Esme Mends said the venue is currently not ready to host any competitive game but expressed hope that the NSA would be able to get it ready in time for the Ghana vs Angola game.

“Our main concern was the playing field, which wasn’t in a good state. I regret to inform you that Baba Yara is not prepared to host a competitive game if there is to be any major activity.” he told Luv FM, as quoted by 3Sports.

“The assurance was evident because the NSA is working nonstop on the pitch, and we were impressed with the work that the employees were putting in. I have no doubt that they will have the Baba Yara pitch ready for the Angola match.”

In July, football administrator Samuel Anim Addo warned that Ghana could soon be playing its home matches in neighbouring countries if the various stadiums continued to be handled with negligence.

His comments were in relation to viral videos of a massive crude was held on the pitch of the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi last week.