Stephen Appiah: It’s national disgrace for Black Stars to play home games outside Ghana

Ex-Ghana captain Stephen Appiah has hit out at the poor maintenance culture that has left the country with no stadium that meets the requirements to host Category 3 international matches.

Appiah’s comments follow the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) decision to withdraw its approval for the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, which was Ghana’s only approved venue for high-profile games.

The deplorable state of the stadium came under the spotlight following the Black Stars’ AFCON qualifier against Angola last Thursday.

Otto Addo’s side lost 1-0 to the Palancas Negras in their opening qualifying game, with many attributing the defeat to the deplorable state of the pitch.

Stephen Appiah fumes at prospect of Black Stars playing home matches abroad

Ghana now face the embarrassing prospect of playing their home matches abroad, especially with a 2025 AFCON qualifier against Sudan scheduled for early October.

Reacting to this, Appiah, who played 67 times for the Black Stars and captained them to their first-ever World Cup in 2006, has described the situation as embarrassing.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the 43-year-old called on authorities to protect the pride of the game by ensuring the national team never plays its home matches abroad.

“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,” Appiah wrote.

Meanwhile, the Sports Ministry has directed the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to ask CAF to inspect the University of Ghana Stadium and the Accra Sports Stadium for possible approval as venues for the Black Stars’ next home game.

Ghana will face Sudan in a double-header AFCON qualifier in early October.

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