AFCON 2025 Qualifier: National Embarrassment If Ghana Opts For Akpabio Stadium

AFCON 2025 Qualifier: National Embarrassment If Ghana Opts For Akpabio Stadium

Ibrahim Lateef

With the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, a choice for Ghana owing to the CAF ban on Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi, former Black Stars captain, Stephen Appiah, has labelled the prospect of the country hosting its next home match in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers abroad as a "national embarrassment."

 BSNSports.com.ng sourced from a Ghanaian tabliod, Graphics after his remarks follow the Confederation of African Football's (CAF) decision to revoke approval of the Baba Yara Sports Stadium due to its poor playing conditions. The Baba Yara Stadium, which hosted Ghana’s recent AFCON qualifier against Angola, was banned after CAF deemed its pitch "unsuitable," citing issues like poor drainage and uneven surfaces. With this decision, Ghana now faces the possibility of playing its upcoming qualifier against Sudan in October outside the country, in locations such as Togo, Nigeria, or Ivory Coast. Appiah expressed his frustration in a tweet, stating: "Playing a qualifier outside Ghana, except in a tournament, is a national embarrassment. We must prioritise hosting our own games and protect our football pride."