CAF Media Officer Ibrahim Saanie Daara has criticised the poor condition of Ghana's playing surfaces, likening them to “weeds” amid the country’s ongoing stadium crisis.
CAF recently banned the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, which hosted Ghana’s match against Angola, due to an "unsuitable playing field."
This ban could force Ghana to host their upcoming 2025 AFCON qualifier against Sudan in neighbouring countries like Togo, Nigeria, or Ivory Coast.
Speaking to JoyNews, Saanie expressed his disappointment with the state of Ghana’s pitches.
"I am sorry to say that we've relied on local companies to deliver on what we call pitches but to be honest, a lot of what I have seen... I would say what we have in Ghana are just weeds instead of pitches," he said.
Saanie also questioned why Ghana hasn’t utilized its own top-class international experts to address the pitch issues, noting that CAF is becoming stricter about enforcing pitch standards.
"Those days when any wishy-washy pitch could pass are long gone," he added, citing that over 15 countries are now playing their international matches abroad due to poor stadiums.