By Nana Kwame Bediako
Ghana’s head coach, Otto Addo, has expressed his profound disappointment over the country’s failure to maintain a stadium that meets the Confederation of African Football (CAF) standards.
Currently, Ghana lacks a stadium that qualifies to host Category 3 international matches, a situation that has raised concerns among football enthusiasts and stakeholders.
The Baba Yara Stadium, once a beacon of Ghanaian football, has been banned by CAF due to its poor maintenance and inadequate infrastructure. This decision came in the wake of Ghana’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier match against Angola, where the Black Stars suffered a 1-0 defeat. The ban has underscored the urgent need for improvements, as the stadium no longer meets the minimum requirements set by CAF for hosting international matches.
Speaking on the sidelines of the CAF symposium for coaches in Côte d’Ivoire, Otto Addo revealed that preparations were already underway to play the next AFCON qualifier against Sudan outside Ghana.
“It’s really pity that it has happened like this. Surely, we always want to play in front of our home fans, but at the end of the day, we have to make the best out of the situation,” Addo stated.
Addo further emphasized the inevitability of adapting to circumstances beyond their control. “If we have to play somewhere and it’s like that, then I don’t want to use my energy to think too much about it because it’s not in our hands and there’s nothing we can do about it,” he noted.
Otto Addo also expressed hope that swift measures would be taken to rectify the situation, allowing the Black Stars to play on home soil once again.
“It’s a CAF decision, and we have to do our best about it. But I hope that if we will be able to play at home, then we quickly manage everything so that we can play at home for our crowd to see us,” he affirmed.
