The National Sports Authority (NSA) Board Chairman, Mr Seth Panwum, has stated that the NSA Officer who rented out the Baba Yara Stadium for a programme before Ghana’s game against Angola is facing internal disciplinary action.
Mr Panwum said this when he was quizzed at the Parliamentary Select Committee for Sports, Culture and Tourism sitting about issues concerning the Baba Yara Stadium’s ban by CAF over the edifice’s poor amenities particularly the pitch.
The Baba Yara pitch was panned by the Head Coach of Angola, Pedro Goncalves, and Black Stars Head Coach, Otto Addo, after Ghana lost 1-0 to Angola in a 2025 AFCON qualifier.
The Baba Yara pitch worsened after the facility was hired out for a Christian programme which rendered the pitch surface unplayable and was not fixed in time to ensure a smooth, even surface with the right grass density.
Speaking at the hearing, Mr Panwum stated, “The Officer who gave the facility out and failed to recover the pitch ahead of the game is also undergoing internal disciplinary measures.”
The NSA is taking its turn at the hearing after the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mustapha Ussif, was questioned on the first day.
The Chairperson of the Parliamentary Select Committee for Sports, Culture and Tourism, Mr Wisdom Kobena Woyome, stated that the Sports Minister, Mustapha Ussif, was defensive during a hearing over expenses made during Ghana’s disastrous 2023 AFCON campaign.
He said this in an exclusive interview with ChannelOne Sports after chairing the hearing that had the Sports Minister brief members of the Committee and lead conveners of the Save Ghana Football Movement.
“Mr Ussif provided some details about how 3m dollars was spent on Ghana’s contingent at the 2023 AFCON that took place in neighbouring, Cote d’Ivoire, despite Ghana crashing out at the group stage after failing to win a game in the competition.
That aside, Sports Minister Mustapha Ussif refuted the narrative that he was the worst Sports Minister Ghana has had.
“I think he was defensive; he was defensive and I expect that from him because he would not sit down and just sit to listen…so yes he was defensive and so we will tease out what we need to tease out.” —Citinewsroom
