Alexander Duncan, the Central Region National Sports Authority boss, has expressed strong disapproval of CAF’s recent report on the Cape Coast Stadium, which resulted in the venue being rejected for the group stages of CAF inter-club competitions.
Despite Medeama and Dreams FC’s desire to use the Cape Coast Stadium for their group stage matches, CAF conducted an inspection and subsequently rejected the venue for the games.
According to the inspection report, several areas of the stadium were deemed to require renovation and upgrading in accordance with CAF requirements. The report indicated that the stadium must undergo refurbishment to meet modern football stadium standards.
Duncan, however, believes that the reasons for rejection do not accurately reflect the true condition of the stadium. He stated, “I was not really shocked, but we contest the results in its entirety because they raised five major issues.”
Duncan went on to detail the key games and tournaments that the Cape Coast Stadium has recently hosted, which, in his opinion, should have qualified it for hosting the group stage games.
“This is a stadium that hosted CAF matches in August and October. It hosted Remo Stars and Horoya when they played Medeama SC. These are CAF top-notch matches. This is a stadium that hosted the WAFU tournament barely two months ago in Ghana. All the matches were played there. This is a stadium that helped Ghana qualify for the World Cup in Qatar.”
He further noted that the report recommended a total shutdown of the stadium, which he vehemently rejected. According to him, some clubs may not find Cape Coast financially viable for their games, and they prefer other venues. Duncan urged CAF to be honest about their preferences, stating, “There are issues that if clubs play at Cape Coast, they don’t make money, so they prefer Kumasi and other areas than Cape Coast. If you prefer other venues, just say it and don’t paint Cape Coast Stadium black.”
As a result of CAF’s decision, both Dreams FC and Medeama will have to use the Baba Yara Stadium for their group stage games.
Source: Francis Hema