Renowned sports journalist Saddick Adams has criticised Ghanaian football officials for allowing the Baba Yara Sports Stadium to be banned by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
He claimed that the ban was orchestrated by certain football officials in Ghana to serve their personal interests and profit at the country's expense.
Adams expressed his frustration over the National Sports Authority's decision to host an event with over 40,000 participants at the Baba Yara Stadium just days before the Black Stars' game against Angola in the 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
“It [CAF’s withdrawal of Baba Yara Stadium] has been orchestrated by some people to get us out of the country so they can benefit. We deliberately allowed an event with more than 40,000 people in the stadium 17 days before the Ghana vs. Angola match,” an X post by Starr FM quoted him.
CAF withdrew its approval for the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi, Ghana, due to technical issues, including an unsuitable playing field.
This decision was made after CAF observed the Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying match between Ghana and Angola at the Baba Yara Stadium on September 5th, 2024.
The stadium was found to not meet the required standards for hosting Category 3 international matches.
The CAF team identified several issues, such as an unsuitable playing field with uneven surfaces, poor drainage, and inadequate grass cover.
The decision has sparked significant backlash from some members of the public.
View the tweets below:
Getting #BlackStars to play outside Ghana is a ploy by some people seeking to benefit... - Saddick Adams#ElectionHub #EIBNetwork #StarrNews #StarrFM pic.twitter.com/b0WvleZ1Ls
— Starr 103.5 FM (@starr1035fm) September 11, 2024
We allowed an event to be held at the Baba Yara Stadium 17 days to Ghana's match... - Saddick Adams (Sports Journalist)#ElectionHub #EIBNetwork #StarrNews #StarrFM pic.twitter.com/beOFRnTvfS
— Starr 103.5 FM (@starr1035fm) September 11, 2024
SB/ ADG