Correcting the Misleading Facebook Statement by Mr. Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, Director General of the National Sports Authority

On Monday, 6th July 2026, a video showing the deplorable state of the pitch at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium went viral, attracting widespread public criticism and concern. The video revealed a grassless, uneven playing surface, with individuals seen digging portions of the pitch using hoes and other crude implements—an approach that is completely inconsistent with modern stadium pitch maintenance practices.

In response to the public outrage and embarrassment, the Director General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Mr. Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, made a Facebook post on the same day in which he sought not only to address the issue but also made a statement that is factually inaccurate and misleading. He stated, and I quote:

“By any means necessary, the pitch will be fixed. We did the same with Accra Sports Stadium turf and restored a dead pitch we inherited back to life.”

This assertion by Mr. Yaw Ampofo Ankrah is disingenuous, misleading, and a blatant misrepresentation of the facts.

The Accra Sports Stadium pitch was in excellent condition in February 2025 when the current NSA leadership, led by Mr. Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, assumed office.

It is an undisputed fact that the previous NSA leadership, under Mr. Seth Panwum Boyooyo, undertook extensive rehabilitation works at the Accra Sports Stadium in September 2024. These works included:

* Complete renovation of the playing turf.

* Refurbishment of the changing rooms.

* Rehabilitation of the floodlights.

* Installation of new players’ reserve benches.

* Restoration of the inner perimeter turf.

* Renovation of other critical stadium facilities.

Following the completion of these works, officials from CAF inspected and approved the stadium in October 2024. Consequently, the stadium successfully hosted the AFCON qualifying match between Ghana and Sudan on Thursday, 10th October 2024.

Furthermore, the previous management took the deliberate decision not to allow social events on the playing surface despite numerous requests and financial offers. At the same time, the NSA maintained its engagement with Green Grass Technology to ensure continuous professional maintenance of the pitch.

These investments and prudent management decisions preserved the quality and integrity of the Accra Sports Stadium pitch, which was handed over in excellent condition to the current Director General.

It is therefore completely false for Mr. Yaw Ampofo Ankrah to suggest that he inherited a “dead” Accra Sports Stadium pitch and restored it to life. The facts demonstrate precisely the opposite.

Indeed, barely one month after assuming office, Mr. Yaw Ampofo Ankrah successfully hosted the Ghana versus Chad 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on 21st March 2025 at the Accra Sports Stadium without major rehabilitation works. This was only possible because of the substantial investments already made by the previous administration, including improvements to the pitch, players’ benches, inner perimeter turf, changing rooms, washrooms, cabinets, showers, air conditioners, and other essential facilities.

While renovation works were ongoing at the Accra Sports Stadium, similar restoration efforts were undertaken at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium following the Deeper Life Convention in July 2024.

By December 2024, the playing surface had improved significantly, enabling Asante Kotoko to host their traditional rivals, Hearts of Oak, under acceptable playing conditions.

Pitch maintenance is a continuous and routine responsibility. Unfortunately, the current leadership of the NSA failed to sustain this routine maintenance programme, resulting in the alarming deterioration of the Baba Yara Sports Stadium pitch that Ghanaians are witnessing today.

In 2018, the Board and Management of the National Sports Authority inherited stadium infrastructure across the country that was in an extremely deplorable condition. The Accra and Baba Yara Sports Stadiums had been described as death traps, and none of Ghana’s major stadiums met CAF or FIFA standards for hosting international matches.

Basic utilities such as electricity and water had even been disconnected at some facilities.

The leadership at the time took decisive action by rehabilitating the Accra, Cape Coast, and Baba Yara Sports Stadiums and their associated facilities. These investments enabled Ghana to successfully host the 2018 Women’s AFCON and subsequently secure CAF and FIFA approvals to host Black Stars international matches.

Those challenges were confronted through hard work, strategic investment, and responsible leadership—not through public relations narratives or revisionist claims.

After more than one and a half years in office, we respectfully urge Mr. Yaw Ampofo Ankrah to uphold the principles of objectivity, truthfulness, and accountability that public office demands.

Rather than attempting to rewrite history, the priority should be to urgently restore the deteriorating Baba Yara Sports Stadium pitch, restore power supply to the Cape Coast Sports Stadium and the Hockey Stadium, address the growing public concerns surrounding the Borteyman Sports Complex, and repair the defective floodlights at the Accra Sports Stadium.

Public confidence is strengthened not by misleading narratives, but by transparency, responsibility, and measurable results