Ghanaian football legend Laryea Kingston has expressed his concerns over the quality of the pitch at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, attributing it as a key factor in the Black Stars’ loss to Angola on September 5, 2024.
In a match that ended in a 1-0 defeat due to a late goal by Felicio Milson, Kingston highlighted that the poor state of the pitch hindered Ghana’s ability to play fluid, build-up football from the back.
He specifically pointed to how the playing surface disrupted ball progression, impacting players like Mohammed Kudus and Antoine Semenyo from delivering performances comparable to their club displays.
Kingston’s comments resonate with a broader conversation about the quality of pitches in Ghana, which has often been cited as a challenge for the national team in executing their game plan effectively.
The defeat also marked the Black Stars’ first loss at the Baba Yara Stadium in over 20 years, adding to the significance of his critique.
“Football has changed. Previously, we could launch long balls and get results, but now the game has changed. Now teams and coaches have advanced; teams are able to deal with long balls.
People might say that we previously got results from playing on these same bad pitches, but we should know the style of play is different. The more you put the ball on the ground, the more advantage you have as a team.
“If you look at the goal we conceded, the ball was not on the ground.
They whipped in a cross from the wide area, and I have no doubt that if the ball was on the ground, Mumin would have stood and cleared the ball.
“Look at Kudus at West Ham and Semenyo at Bournemouth. They perform fantastically for their clubs, but when they come here, they struggle because of the poor quality of our pitches,” he said.
The Black Stars have landed in Morocco to continue preparations for their next match in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers.
The team is focused on bouncing back from their recent loss as they face Niger on Monday, September 9, 2024, with hopes of returning to winning form.