Deputy Sports Minister Evans Opoku Bobie says the Accra Sports Stadium is on par with the quality of facilities showcased at the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast.
Despite Ivory Coast’s display of six state-of-the-art stadiums, Bobie is confident that Ghana, with its ongoing stadium renovation initiatives, is not far behind in its capacity to host such prestigious events.
Ivory Coast’s impressive facilities, including the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan with a capacity of 60,000, have captured the attention and aspirations of Ghanaians for similar top-tier stadiums.
However, Deputy Sports Minister Bobie contends that the Accra Sports Stadium holds a comparable standard to those being utilised in the current AFCON.
“If Ghana is hosting the African Games, which is the continent’s biggest competition, how much is AFCON? When we finish renovating our numerous stadiums, Ghana will host the AFCON soon. The Accra Sports Stadium pitch is currently at the same level as the stadiums used for the AFCON 2023,” emphasized Bobie.
Meanwhile Ghana, the four-time champions last hosted the rest of Africa in 2008 where they finished third. During the tournament, the Accra Sports Stadium in good shape was one of the stadia for the event alongside the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi, the Aliu Mahama Stadium in Tamale and the Sekondi-Takoradi Essipong Stadium.
The 2023 edition which is currently underway with the first round of matches nearing its end has seen Ghana lose its first match against Cape Verde and are gathering momentum to bounce back against record holders Egypt on Thursday.