‘Did Angola play in the sky?’ – NSA replies critics of Baba Yara Stadium pitch

Majeed Bawa, the Deputy Director General of the NSA, said the Black Stars lost because they weren’t tactically better than their opponents.

Ghana made a losing start to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers after being beaten 1-0 at home by underdogs Angola.

A late goal from Milson condemned the Black Stars to their first defeat at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium since 2000 (24 years ago) when they were beaten by South Africa as hosts of the AFCON that year.

Defender Abdul Mumin fluffed his lines while trying to clear the ball in the 94th minute, which Milson took full advantage of to bundle the ball home.

Poor state of Baba Yara Stadium pitch condemned by Ghanaians

Ghana’s play was, however, hampered by the poor state of the pitch, which made it difficult for the ball to flow freely.

While the NSA has been severely criticised by the public for their poor maintenance of the pitch, the Authority’s Deputy Director General has rejected such claims.

According to Majeed Bawa, both teams played on the same pitch, ironically saying the Angolans didn’t play in the sky.

“Are they suggesting that the Angolans were playing in the sky? They are all footballers,” he told Asempa FM, as quoted by Myjoyonline.

“Those they assembled to play against the Black Stars are professionals. We assembled our professionals. They all played on the same pitch. So CAF has inspected the pitch and approved it for the game.

“Let's just look at what happened. We might not be coaches but we follow and understand football. We all suspected and wanted, even the fans themselves were agitating for change in the 60th minute."

Meanwhile, Ghana will be aiming to make amends when they face Niger in their next AFCON qualifier on Monday.