Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe said he has been left frustrated by the inability of African countries to keep their playing pitches in good shape.
CAF recently revoke approval for Kumasi’s Baba Yara Stadium ahead of the upcoming AFCON Qualifiers in October and the Black Stars of Ghana are now weighing the option of playing in Nigeria or Cote d’Ivoire.
“Nothing frustrates me more than seeing national teams or club sides forced to play home matches outside their country,” Motsepe said during a press conference
“You can’t grow football if teams aren’t playing in front of their home fans.”
He further emphasised that CAF’s discussions with member countries focus on ensuring that every nation has at least one stadium capable of hosting a Category C match, highlighting the federation’s concern for football development across the continent.
According to the football governing body, issues such as uneven playing surfaces, poor drainage, and insufficient grass cover contributed to the ban.
Ghana, Djibouti, Chad, Niger, Eritrea, Gabon, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Sao Tome, Burundi are the countries that have been affected.
