Director General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Professor Peter Twumasi, has claimed Black Stars coach, Chris Hughton, told him the Baba Yara Sports Stadium pitch is one of the excellent pitches he has ever seen.

He is putting up this defence following the backlash that is greeting the nature of the playing surface after Ghana’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Angola on Thursday.

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Players struggled to move the ball freely and it ultimately affected the quality of the game.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Game Plan on Friday, Twumasi explained that, “[for] a facility to be accepted for such a game, it means it would have met all the requirements and that’s what actually happened.

“A lot of things go into getting a facility like this ready for a match of this nature; the pitch is one, the whole environment, dressing room and many other things.

“I think for yesterday [Thursday], it was excellent. All these met the mark that’s why we were able to have the game there.

“The pitch in particular that you are mentioning, I think the coach himself made a statement when he got there, ‘wow, this is one of the excellent pitches he has ever seen’.”

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A rugged game culminated into substitute Antoine Semenyo scoring a 96th minute winner for the Black Stars against the Palancas Negras to start Chris Hughton’s era on a winning note.

The reverse fixture is scheduled to be played in Luanda on Monday, March 27. Ghana is currently top of Group E with 7 points.