The Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi could regain its Confederation of African Football (CAF) licence to stage international matches if sufficient funding is provided to speed up renovation and upgrade work.
The stadium’s licence was recently revoked after it failed to meet CAF’s required standards for hosting international fixtures. However, the National Sports Authority (NSA) in the Ashanti Region believes the venue can be restored to the approved list once the remaining work is completed and it passes a fresh CAF inspection.
The Ashanti Regional Directorate of the NSA has already been working to improve the stadium and respond to infrastructure issues identified by CAF. Further financial support is needed, though, to accelerate the renovations and place the facility in a position to receive an inspection team.
The authority is expected to continue preparations for a possible CAF visit, with the wider aim of securing international approval for Baba Yara Sports Stadium once again.
Any successful application would be an important development for Ghanaian football. The venue is one of the country’s most historic football grounds and has traditionally been a much-valued home for supporters in the Ashanti Region watching the Black Stars.
Baba Yara Sports Stadium’s return to the CAF-approved venue list would also give Ghana a major international football ground outside Accra. It could again serve as a home venue for the Black Stars, as well as for other international fixtures, provided the outstanding requirements are completed to the required standard and within the necessary timeframe.
The next stage will depend on the progress of the renovation and upgrade programme, alongside the availability of the financial resources required to complete it. Once the work has been finished, CAF would need to inspect the facility before any licence could be restored.
The decision to revoke the stadium’s licence followed its failure to satisfy the standards required for international matches. That has left the NSA Ashanti focused on addressing the outstanding infrastructure concerns and improving the venue ahead of a possible inspection.
There is renewed optimism that those efforts could eventually lead to the stadium being reinstated. But the facility must first complete the necessary improvements and successfully meet CAF’s inspection requirements.
For supporters in the Ashanti Region, a return of international football to Baba Yara Sports Stadium would restore the ground’s place on the continental stage. It would also re-establish one of Ghana’s best-known football venues as a potential base for the Black Stars and other international games.
The outcome will therefore rest on whether the required funding becomes available in time to complete the remaining work and prepare the Kumasi stadium for assessment by CAF.
