The National Sports Authority has declared the closure of the Baba Yara Sports Stadium for maintenance following complaints about the playing field during Ghana’s 1-0 loss to Angola in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers.
The stadium won’t reopen until October 7, 2024, in time for Ghana’s upcoming home game.
Following the game on Thursday, Angola’s coach Pedro Gonçalves criticized the nature of the pitch.
We constantly tried to play football, but the pitch was challenging, he said, describing the playing surface as insufficient.
Ghana is a nation that deserves improved football fields and stadiums. They have athletes with tremendous talent.”
Otto Addo, the Ghana coach, acknowledged the pitch’s terrible state but refrained from blaming it for the defeat in the face of criticism.
“I don’t want to blame the loss on the pitch, even though it wasn’t in good shape. Against the Central African Republic, the pitch was also poor, but we managed to win. We simply have to do better.”Addo remarked
