The Director-General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, has admitted that the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi is currently unfit to host any football match, not even colts games.
Mr. Ampofo Ankrah led a team from the NSA to inspect the facility on Thursday, where he expressed serious concerns about the poor condition of the playing surface.
“The state of the pitch at the moment, well yeah, you can see it, you cannot even play colts football on the pitch,” he told the media.
“The weather, which is a natural source, has not been too favourable in this part of the country over the past few weeks.”
The state of the pitch has come under scrutiny in recent months, especially after Ghana’s defeat to Angola in a 2025 AFCON qualifier played on the same turf.
Mr. Ampofo Ankrah disclosed that Asante Kotoko have officially written to the NSA requesting to use the stadium as their home ground for the upcoming season.
However, he stressed that approval would depend on the pitch meeting required standards.
“Kotoko officially wrote to us just over a week ago. They wish to use this venue, but like we can all see, we need to make sure everything is in perfect condition before that can be done,” he said.
To help with restoration efforts, the NSA has engaged turf management experts, including Dr. from KNUST and Frank Boahin, to assess the pitch and recommend a realistic timeline for resuscitation.
