Baba Yara Sports Stadium is 50

Kumasi Asante Kotoko has played the Camain Football Club from Burkina Faso in an international friendly soccer match in Kumasi to climax activities marking the Golden Jubilee of the Baba Yara Sports Stadium. The Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu, some traditional authorities, and the regional Minister, Emmanuel Owusu Ansah were at the stadium to grace the occasion. Others include a parade of some old players from the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions who played at the stadium and made great names for themselves. They include Dan Owusu, Kwesi Owusu, Malik Jabir, Rev. Osei Kofi, Haruna Yusif and Wilberforce Kwadwo Mfum. All Ashanti region-based teams which play or have ever played in Ghana's first and premiere soccer divisions were also represented at the ceremony.The Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu, after inspecting facilities at the stadium, cut the anniversary cake. The sports stadium, with an initial seating and standing capacity of 80,000 was built by the defunct United Africa Company in 1958 as a gift to Asanteman as part of the company's corporate social responsibility. This is the third time the facility has been rehabilitated.The first was in 1978 and the second in 1999. The third is the recent renovation, undertaken in preparation for the CAN 2008 tournament. The stadium currently has a seating capacity of 40,473.