Ghana Football Association (GFA) General Secretary Prosper Harrison Addo says a misunderstanding over the use of the University of Ghana Stadium caused the controversy surrounding Somalia’s preparations for their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Addo said Somalia had not been refused access to the venue, but had been assigned the warm-up pitch rather than the main playing surface.
Speaking on Asempa FM, he said confusion over the designated training area was responsible for the dispute.
“It was a case of miscommunication. They were supposed to train on the warm-up pitch, not the main pitch. The Somalis were not denied access to train at UG Stadium, and none of their officials has contacted us to report any problems with their training,” Addo said.
The disagreement arose before Ghana’s 2027 AFCON qualifying double-header against Somalia and prompted questions about communication between the GFA, the stadium authorities and the visiting delegation.
Somalia had been scheduled to train at the University of Ghana Stadium before travelling to Takoradi for their two qualifying matches against the Black Stars.
However, Addo’s explanation indicates that the issue concerned which pitch had been allocated, rather than a decision to prevent Somalia from using the facility.
He also said the GFA had received no formal complaint from any member of the Somali delegation about the training arrangements.
Ghana will play Somalia at the Essipong Sports Stadium on Thursday before travelling for the return fixture on Monday, 16 November. Both sides are continuing their campaigns in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.
