Former Ghana international Derek Boateng has accused the Ghana Football Association (GFA) of only “caring about money” and not ensuring standard pitches for the Black Stars..
The Baba Yara Sports Stadium, which hosted Ghana’s last game against Angola, has been banned by CAF “due to the poor quality of the pitch.”
“The current state of the pitch does not meet the standards required for CAF/FIFA senior international matches, necessitating a complete reconstruction.”
The African football governing body also “recommends that the relevant authorities conduct a comprehensive assessment of all major international stadiums in Ghana to ensure they comply with CAF technical standards.”
This decision leaves Ghana with limited options, and potentially hosting their next game against Sudan in October in Togo, Nigeria, or Ivory Coast.
Derek expressed disappointment with the challenge and dared the FA to fix the issue “if they care about football.”
“It is really said. This job is a huge job. One person cannot do it,” Derek said.
Everybody has to be part of it but I feel the FA needs to wake up and do something because this is their job, to make sure that all the fields are good for the players to play.
“The only thing they care about is money. We have players coming from Europe in a good field. They will come and play in a sh**t pitch and you expect them to perform well and win games?
“If the FA care about football, they have to make sure those things [fixing pitches] are done before the players will come [October].”
Meanwhile, the Sports Ministry released a statement, ‘directing’ the National Sports Authority, to “take steps to resolve issues with the pitch” at the Baba Yara Stadium.
Renting out national stadiums has become the NSA’s primary source of income, but the practice has proven counterproductive, as the facilities are often left in a deplorable state.
The Black Stars come up against Sudan on October, 11 hoping for their first win of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier after picking up one point from two matches.
Ghana suffered a 1-0 defeat to Angola before a 1-1 draw against Niger, leaving them third in Group F with just one point.