Ghana Football Association (GFA) General Secretary Prosper Harrison Addo has dismissed suggestions that Somalia were deliberately prevented from training at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium ahead of their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying encounter against the Black Stars.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ultimate Sports Show, Addo described the incident as a matter of miscommunication, insisting that the visiting team’s training session was never cancelled.
He explained that Somalia had been allocated the warm-up pitch within the university sports complex and not the main playing field, which had been reserved for a university programme.
In his words, “It was a case of miscommunication. They were supposed to train on the warm-up pitch, not the main pitch.”
He further insisted that the Somali delegation was not denied access to the facility, adding that the Ghana Football Association had not received any formal complaint from the visiting team.
“The Somalis were not denied access to train at UG Stadium, and none of their officials has contacted us to report any problems with their training,” he stated.
Addo also clarified that it was the university’s campus security personnel, and not the police, who asked the Somali team to leave the main pitch.
He attributed the confusion partly to a communication breakdown, explaining that the leader of the Somali delegation should have been properly informed about the designated training area and directed to the warm-up pitch.
The GFA General Secretary maintained that there was no deliberate attempt to frustrate Somalia’s preparations, stressing that the misunderstanding centred on the allocation of the training facility.
The clarification follows allegations of intimidation from the Somali camp after security personnel interrupted their training session at the University of Ghana Stadium on Tuesday.
Ghana are scheduled to host Somalia at the Essipong Sports Stadium in Sekondi-Takoradi on Thursday, November 12, before the two countries meet again in the return fixture on Monday, November 16.
