PEDRO GONÇALVES CONDEMNS THE BABA YARA SPORTS STADIUM PITCH AHEAD OF AFCON QUALIFIER ON THURSDAY

Head coach of the Angolan national team, Pedro Gonçalves, has condemned the poor state of the Baba Yara Stadium pitch ahead of the crucial 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier with Ghana on Thursday, September 5, 2024.

The Portuguese coach expressed his concern through a media engagement, emphasizing the essence of getting a well-maintained pitch that can aid his players to perform at their best. The manager noted with disgust the current state of the Baba Yara pitch but trusted the local authorities to put the pitch to good shape before the game on Thursday.

“Sure, everybody watching the news about the pitch will be scared. The last time we played in Kumasi, unfortunately, we lost the match, but the atmosphere was wonderful.
The people in the stands weren’t for us, but everybody was proud—it was exciting. But really, I am scared about the pitch”. He stated.

Gonçalves added, “I understand the people are working hard to recover the pitch, and I think it’s good for both teams because we both like to play football. The Ghana national team has players playing at the highest level, so we must have a good pitch to play on”.

The Black Stars arrived in Kumasi today to continue with preparation ahead of the big game. Ghana will lock horns with Angola on September 5th and face Niger in Morocco on September 9, 2024.

Meanwhile, Angola are expected to arrive in Ghana tonight with a chartered flight.

Kyei Manu

I’m a Practicing Media Personnel /Freelance Journalist. The Editor/Blogger of this portal, with interest in Sports, Environmental and other Social issues that affects society.
A member of Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) and AIPS International.