GFA Takes Black Stars Games From ‘Hostile’ Kumasi Fans

Baba Yara Sports StadiumThe Ghana Football Association (GFA) has confirmed that Black Stars home matches will now be alternated between the national stadiums in Accra and Kumasi.

The Kumasi Stadium has for many years been the preferred venue for all the Black Stars major games including World Cup and Nations Cup qualifiers.

The Black Stars were, on Saturday,  held to a 1-1 draw by Uganda  in the first match of the 2015 African Cup of Nations qualifiers in Kumasi.

“Our policy is to rotate venues for all national team matches. Our original plan was to play the game against Uganda in Accra, but you know there are problems with the floodlights and other issues at the Accra Sports Stadium so we were forced to come to Kumasi,” GFA Communications Director, Ibrahim Sannie Daara explained at Sunday post-match press conference.

The Kumasi Sports Stadium, was, however, half empty minutes before the Uganda game, even though the situation improved as the match progressed.

Sports analysts however say the attendance was one of the poorest recorded at the stadium for a Black Stars game since it was renovated in 2008.

Days before the qualifier against Uganda, the fans served notice they would boycott the game because of the Stars’ poor showing at the world cup in Brazil and the sheer disrespect they displayed against the Ghanaian tax payer.

The Sports Ministry in response, announced that entry into the stadium for the game would be free  but back-tracked on their decision    following concerns raised by National Security officials.

Prices for the tickets were instead reduced in a move which officials claim was to “win back the love of the supporters “.

The move was unsuccessful as the home fans constantly booed the Black Stars players and cheered the Ugandans at every opportunity.

However Mr. Sannie Daara, has said that they were not going to abandon the Baba Yara stadium or the fans in Kumasi completely.

“We are not abandoning Kumasi. In our estimation, the crowd in Kumasi mirrored what happened in Brazil. We did everything to calm them down, but it seems they need more time to come to terms with our failure at the World Cup.

“If anyone was in doubt the role fans play in football matches, we all saw the perfect scenario yesterday. We need the fans to support us to win for them, it is very important.

“We are all begging that we put what happened in Brazil behind us and forge forward as a country. We all want a winning Black Stars and we must all support in our own little ways. We are all Ghanaians,” he added.

Citifmonline.com/African Eye News

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