General Director of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Professor Peter Twumasi, has advised the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to construct and oversee the management of their own stadiums.
He emphasized that the revenue generated from Ghana’s involvement in the World Cup could serve as a funding source for such a project.
In an interview with Graphic Sports, he expressed that it is high time for the GFA to take the initiative in owning and operating their stadiums.
“I think it’s high time the GFA built their own stadium,” Prof. Twumasi told Graphic Sports.
“For example, the World Cup money that we get should be used for some of these things, — building a stadium. We can use the World Cup money to design a stadium purposely for football matters and the federation (GFA) will handle that.”
He further advised Ghana Premier League clubs to follow suit and own their venues.
On the clubs, he added, “Not only the GFA, but all the clubs playing in the Premiership must own stadiums or venues good enough to host a match.”
He suggested that clubs that lack funds should apply for loans from banks.
“If I have my way, every club that plays in the Premier League must demonstrate that they have their own stadium. If they don’t have the money, they can team up with the banks for loans to be deducted from their gate proceeds for a number of years.”
The National Sports Authority (NSA) has faced criticism for its inadequate management of national stadiums.
Only the Baba Yara Stadium has received approval from CAF as a standard venue for hosting international matches, out of the four national stadiums.
The Baba Yara Stadium is slated to be the venue for Ghana’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Madagascar on Friday, November 17, 2023.