Ghana are set to be stripped of the chance of hosting the first-leg of their decisive 2022 FIFA World Cup playoff qualifying tie against Nigeria at their much-fancied Cape Coast Stadium later this month after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) sent it stadium inspectors to Kumasi on Sunday, Ghanasoccernet.com can exclusively reveal.
This is the clearest indication from Africa’s football governing body that this month’s titanic clash could be moved to Kumasi instead of the Ghana Football Association (GFA)’s favoured Cape Coast Stadium that had been initiallly approved for the game.
It comes after CAF officials inspected the Kumasi Sports Stadium in the Ashanti Regional capital on Sunday afternoon ahead of the league match, clearly indicating that the change of venue for the match is very much on the cards.
The three-man CAF inspection team was taken to observe the Kumasi Stadium by the GFA’s Alex Asante who is in charge of international competitions before the report on the visit was sent to CAF.
The report from the officials on Sunday will result in this week’s final decision from CAF on whether the match should be moved to Kumasi from Cape Coast.
There have been complaints about the pitch in Cape Coast after it hosted an Independence Day parade on 6 March to mark the country’s 65th anniversary.
Officials of the National Sports Authority began work on the field last week but it looks like it will not be in good condition for the 25 March showdown.
The Nigeria Football Federation filed a complaint and request for a venue change after photos of the bad nature of the Cape Coast Stadium field went viral.
Cape Coast Stadium pitch in a terrible state.The Cape Coast stadium, which has hosted all of Ghana’s group games in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, has been left in a sorry state after it was used for the Independence Day parade.
The pitch of the stadium, that is supposed to host the Black Stars versus Super Eagles blockbuster, was left in a terribly bad shape after it was pounded with Independence Day activities on Sunday.
The newly-built stadium in central Ghana has been left in terrible condition following the Independence Day parade on Sunday.
Military and police horses hit the ground for several hours during the parade to celebrate Ghana’s 65th Independence which has left the pitch looking like a cassava farm.
The grass, that was approved by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), has suffered severe damage and the surface look brown, making it unplayable.
The pitch would look unrecognizable for CAF officials who gave the greenlight to the Cape Coast Stadium to host the match that would attract global attention.
That is because global television stations will be beaming the match live on their screens and the poor state of the pitch would project Ghanaian and African football in a very bad light.
Top stars from both sides and their foreign clubs would also be worried that their players could be prone to serious injuries if they play on a pitch of such nature.
The players from the top clubs would also not be able to play their best football on a pitch of such nature which has been the bane of African football and how administrators take the issue of pitches for matches seriously.
This has sparked fears that the game could be relocated to another venue to avoid any embarrassment for African football and CAF has responded now by sending its inspectors.
With just some few days remaining for the crucial World Cup playoff against Nigeria, the NSA started emergency repair work at the Cape Coast Stadium but this exercise could be in fuitility if the game is moved to Kumasi.
Ghana played all home games in the group stages of the qualification in Cape Coast.
After the first-leg, the Black Stars will travel to Abuja in four days time for the second-leg and the winner of the playoff will progress to the World Cup in Qatar.
Source: ghanasoccernet.com
