Bawa Majeed, the Deputy Director General of the National Sports Authority, offered a blunt evaluation of the Black Stars’ lackluster display in their 1-0 defeat to Angola in the AFCON qualifiers, amid concerns over Baba Yara Stadium pitch.
The pitch had already come under scrutiny before the match, with images circulating on social media highlighting its poor condition.
Ghana suffered their first home defeat in 24 years, losing 1-0 to Angola, courtesy of a stoppage-time goal from Milton, who capitalized on a mistake by Black Stars defender Abdul Mumin.
Mumin’s error, failing to clear a bobbling ball, was a recurring theme in the match, with the subpar pitch conditions affecting the team’s overall performance and drawing frustration from the fans.
In response to concerns about the pitch’s state, NSA Deputy Director General Majeed Bawa has fired back, disputing the negative assessments and highlighting his organization’s efforts to maintain the facility.
“Are they suggesting that the Angolans were playing in the sky? They are all footballers. Those they assembled to play against the Black Stars are professionals. We assembled our professionals. They all played on the same pitch. So CAF has inspected the pitch and approved it for the game,” he said.
“Let’s just look at what happened. We might not be coaches, but we follow and understand football. We all suspected and wanted, even the fans themselves were agitating for change in the 60th minute.”
Meanwhile, Angola Coach Pedro Goncalves emphasised that a country like Ghana deserves a better playing surface, given the quality of its players.
“They have good players and they deserve a better pitch,” he added, underscoring the need for improvements.
The poor condition of the pitch was attributed to a five-day church program held at the stadium in July, which left the playing surface in disarray.
The Black Stars will look to bounce back in their next match against Niger on Monday, September 9.
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Story by Asack Pius |univers.ug.edu.gh
