Accra Sports Stadium cannot be demolished now despite engineering challenges – NSA boss Prof. Emmanuel Osei Sarpong

The Acting Director General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Prof. Emmanuel Osei Sarpong, says demolishing the Accra Sports Stadium is not an immediate solution to the engineering problems affecting the facility.

The stadium has come under scrutiny in recent months because of its deteriorating condition, with concerns about safety prompting calls for the ageing structure to be demolished and rebuilt.

However, Prof. Osei Sarpong believes the decision to renovate the stadium or construct a new facility must be based on a careful assessment of the available options.

He said the NSA was examining the engineering challenges and working to address the problems, although the process would have to be carried out in phases.

“For me, Accra Sports Stadium is a very good place. We have an engineering problem, and so that is one of the things we are looking at, but we cannot fix everything at a go,” he told Citi Sports.

“We will explore the options to determine whether renovation or building a new stadium would be the best solution.”

Prof. Osei Sarpong added that demolishing the stadium was not a viable option in the immediate future, insisting that the authorities would need to identify and resolve the outstanding issues gradually.

“In the interim, we cannot break Accra Sports Stadium down. So we need to look at the gaps one after the other and solve them gradually until we are sure the majority of the gaps are [addressed],” he said.

The Accra Sports Stadium remains one of Ghana’s principal sporting venues and hosted the Black Stars’ 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Gambia last month.

The facility had also been expected to host Ghana’s back-to-back AFCON qualifying matches against Somalia next month.

However, Prof. Osei Sarpong has indicated that the two matches are likely to be played at the Essipong Stadium in the Western Region, with the NSA seeking clarification from the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The potential change of venue comes as the authorities continue to assess the condition of the Accra Sports Stadium and consider the long-term measures needed to restore the facility.