The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially declined the Cape Coast Stadium as the venue for hosting Medeama SC’s CAF Champions League group stage matches.
A recent evaluation conducted by a CAF inspection team revealed that the Cape Coast Stadium does not meet the essential criteria for hosting senior international matches, including CAF inter-club group stage fixtures. Consequently, the stadium has been formally disallowed from being used for the CAF interclub competitions of 2023-24 and other CAF/FIFA senior national team events.
Medeama has been directed to choose an alternative venue from the list of CAF-approved stadiums which includes the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi for hosting both the group stage and knockout rounds of the CAF inter-club competitions in 2023-24.
The inspection report highlighted multiple areas within the stadium that require substantial improvements and renovations to comply with CAF’s contemporary football stadium standards. Overall, it is clear that the stadium needs significant refurbishment to meet the requisite requirements and standards of a modern football arena.
The latest decision forces the two Ghana’s representatives to adopt Baba Yara Stadium for the group games. Medeama is set to compete against defending champions Al Ahly SC, Algerian champions CR Belouizdad, and Tanzanian giants Young Africans. Their first group match will take place in Cairo against Al Ahly, followed by a home fixture against Belouizdad at the Baba Yara Stadium in the second round.
Their subsequent home games will feature matches against Young Africans and Al Ahly in that sequence.
The CAF Champions League group stage matches are slated to commence on November 25 and 26, 2023, spanning through to March 1 and 2, 2024.
