"Were the Angolan Players Playing in the Skies?": NSA Quizzes After Pitch Criticisms

• Majeed Bawa on behalf of the National Sports Authority has responded to critics of the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi
• The Black Stars consisting mainly of overseas players struggled to play against Angola following the poor nature of the pitch
• Ghana suffered an opening-day defeat to Angola after a late strike in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers

Majeed Bawa, the Deputy Director General of Ghana's National Sports Authority, has jumped to the defence of his outfit following criticisms after the Black Stars' game against Angola.

Ghana lost 1-0 to Angola after a late strike from forward Felicio Milson at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.

The result of the game was overshadowed by the poor nature of the pitch, with many attributing Ghana's defeat to the playing surface.

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However, Mr Bawa has quizzed the critics, asking if Angola played in the skies.

“Are they suggesting that the Angolans were playing in the sky? They are all footballers,” Bawa told Asempa FM, as quoted by My Joy Online.

“Those they assembled to play against the Black Stars are professionals. We assembled our professionals. They all played on the same pitch. So CAF has inspected the pitch and approved it for the game.

“Let's just look at what happened. We might not be coaches but we follow and understand football. We all suspected and wanted, even the fans themselves were agitating for change in the 60th minute."

Baba Yara pitch hampers quality of AFCON qualifier

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Both teams struggled to keep the ball for long due to the nature of the playing surface.

Angola, the AFCON 2023 quarter-final, profited from an error from Abdul Mumin, whose clearance could not got far due to the unbalanced nature of the grass.

There have been complains by players and officials of the Ghana Football Association over how poor the Baba Yara Sports Stadium has become unplayable for the stars.

Thomas Partey pleaded with government for a standard stadium, as reported by Citi Sports.

Angola coach react to Baba Yara pitch

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Angola coach Pedro Goncalves has stated that Ghana needs a better stadium after his side's victory over the Black Stars in the AFCON qualifiers in Kumasi.

Second-half substitute Felicio Milson struck late as the Palancas Negras stunned the Black Stars to inflict Ghana its first defeat in Kumasi for 24 years.

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Despite the victory, the attention was on the playing surface as the players struggled to put a series of passes together due to the unbalanced nature of the grass.

Source: YEN.com.gh