{"id":396769,"date":"2018-01-31T08:40:38","date_gmt":"2018-01-31T08:40:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=396769"},"modified":"2018-01-31T09:08:28","modified_gmt":"2018-01-31T09:08:28","slug":"no-more-football-on-saturdays-baba-yara-stadium-to-host-funerals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2018\/01\/no-more-football-on-saturdays-baba-yara-stadium-to-host-funerals\/","title":{"rendered":"No more football on Saturdays; Baba Yara stadium to host funerals"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi has been exclusively reserved for funerals and other social activities on Saturdays, Director of the National Sports Authority in Ashanti Region, Joshua Mensah, has revealed.<\/p>\n
Speaking to journalists in the Ashanti Regional capital, Mensah indicated that, it had become necessary to hire the stadium out for funerals and other social activities to enable them raise funds to maintain the fast-deteriorating facility.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me be honest with you, no football match will be allowed at the Baba Yara stadium henceforth because we don\u2019t make enough money from the matches to maintain the facility and so henceforth the stadium will be given out on Saturdays for only funerals and other social activities,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mensah also revealed that, his decision has backing from the Director General of the NSA, Robert Sarfo Mensah.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven my National director is happy with the decision I have taken here. If we are not careful, we will one day be met with news of the closure of the Stadium for the lack of proper maintenance\u201d.<\/p>\n
In Kumasi and most parts of the Ashanti Region, funerals are given so much prominence, and in some circles, they are even considered a lucrative business.<\/p>\n
The Baba Yara Sports Stadium was renovated for the Africa Cup of Nations in 2008, which was hosted in Ghana. But years of neglect has now left the facility on the verge of collapse.<\/p>\n
Poorly maintained Baba Yara stadium fast deteriorating<\/strong><\/p>\n