After days of nervous wait, the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi has been settled for the fiery Ghana-Nigeria World Cup play-off.
This follows the ‘thrilling’ approval of the Kumasi pitch – after hours of ‘snake-pit’ inspection by a CAF Licensing Inspector at the recently-renovated edifice on Sunday.
The Cape Coast Sports Stadium, which was initially slated to host the gut-wrenching tie, was rejected by CAF because the field and other facilities were in bad fettle.
CAF, however, granted only a one-match approval for the use of the Baba Yara stadium as regards the impending qualifier.
A letter by CAF to the Ghana Football Association (GFA) stated that: “upon conclusion of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 play-off round match, the stadium is automatically removed from the list of CAF approved stadiums and will only be approved for any subsequent CAF/FIFA international senior national teams matches and CAF men’s inter-clubs competitions following the implementation of all the CAF remarks.”
The CAF letter signed by CAF Development Officer, Raul Chipenda, and sent to the General Secretary of the GFA, Prosper Harrison Addo and copied to FIFA, lined up a gamut of conditions before the match against Nigeria.
It directed among others that there must be an installation of new international standard, modern and comfortable officials’ benches at pitch level; adjustment of the floodlight intensity, a minimum of 1200 Lux provided all over the pitch, covering uniformly every area of the playing field and increase seating and lockers in the teams dressing rooms to reach 25 persons.
CAF further insisted on the installation of completely new modern equipment and materials in the referees dressing rooms and ensure that is equipped with all the necessary materials and CAF requirements.
It said “there shall be an onsite stadium inspector to conduct further assessment of the facility until the day of the match and that in the event that the above mentioned conditions are not met before the match; financial sanctions shall be imposed on Ghana.”
That notwithstanding, yesterday’s news may have come as huge relief to Ghanaian football fans who had dreaded the thought of traveling hundreds of miles away for the game.
FIFA had threatened to move Ghana’s home game to sub-regional neighbours Benin or to far north Morocco, having rejected the Cape Coast Sports Stadium.
The Cape Coast stadium had been penciled for the high-profile cracker between two of the continent’s Gullivers, but FIFA found the pitch in ‘bad taste’ for a World Cup qualifier.
Vigorous activities during Ghana’s 65th Independence Day march parade left the pitch woefully diminished in quality.
The National Sports Authority (NSA) had written to the Ghana Football Association (GFA) in late January, this year, that the Cape Coast Sports Stadium was not available for the Ghana-Nigeria game, explaining that the venue was going to be used for the March 6 Independence Day Anniversary Celebrations.
However, that call came late as the GFA had already communicated to CAF confirming the Cape Coast Stadium as venue for Ghana’s next game.
As of last week, the NSA was working around the clock to ensure that the Cape Coast Stadium pitch comes back alive. But it is late now as a new venue (Baba Yara Stadium) has now been chosen for the game.
The Stars will play Nigeria in the opening leg of the double-header next Friday, March 25, at 19:30GMT – with the return encounter taking place in Abuja, four days later.
BY JOHN VIGAH
