Director General at the Ghana National Sports Authority (NSA) , Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, asserts that the Accra Sports Stadium cannot host a proposed concert by Jamaican dancehall icon Vybz Kartel without a proper pitch cover to secured the national asset.
According to the Director General, the stadium, which remains the country’s primary venue for international games, is already undergoing partial renovation, with some sections of the seating area “fenced off.” Kartel’s management has reportedly written to the NSA expressing interest in hosting a major concert at the stadium as part of a planned end of year world tour in December.
Ampofo Ankrah told Sporty FM that the state and nature of Kartel’s performances require an unrestrictive setup, an initiative that poses a major peril to the stadium’s playing surface if being staged without a protective cover.
“If you look at the stages they mount and the kind of setup he needs to match his energy, we can’t restrict him. But how do we give him that space when we haven’t protected our pitch?” he asked.
He added that allowing the concert without the necessary precautions would leave the pitch badly damaged. “Otherwise, I might as well write my resignation letter. December 31st is not worth destroying the pitch,” he said.
Ampofo Ankrah acknowledged Kartel’s global popularity and the potential cultural impact of the event, especially in terms of tourism and Ghana-Jamaica relations, giving a blueprint of the national mantra “Beyond The Return.”
“It’s beyond music. It’s a whole statement; a music renaissance, Ghana’s creative appeal, and Kartel’s own redemption story as a born-again Rastafarian,” he said.
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