The Director General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, has defended the decision to allow fans into the upper terrace of the Accra Sports Stadium during Ghana’s 2026 World Cup qualifier against Chad, despite earlier safety concerns about the section.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Citi Sports, Mr. Ampofo explained that the NSA was compelled to make swift decisions on matchday due to an unexpectedly large turnout of fans.
We had more numbers than anticipated and had to take immediate decisions.
We didn’t have the luxury of time or formal meetings, so we had to quickly communicate and act to protect both lives and property, and also to ensure the sanctity of the match
Prior to the game, the NSA had issued a public statement indicating that the upper terrace of the stadium was not fit for use due to ongoing structural assessments. However, during the match, fans were visibly seen occupying that section-raising serious questions about event-day coordination and crowd control.
Mr. Ampofo acknowledged the contradiction but insisted that the circumstances forced the Authority’s hand.
We had more numbers than anticipated and we had to take quick decisions immediately and we didn’t have the luxury of meeting so we had to quickly communicate and take those decisions to protect property and lives and also ensure the sanctity of the match.
So certain decisions were taken in order to protect, first of all, lives and as much as the risks were concerned, we had to evaluate the risks and take those decisions
The Accra Sports Stadium was crammed with over 40 000 spectators during Ghana’s 5-0 World Cup qualifying win against Chad on Friday, March 21! pic.twitter.com/2fXpgBeDll
— Gariba Raubil (@TheGariba) March 23, 2025
The NSA boss further noted that a post-match security briefing has already taken place, involving all key stakeholders, including the Fire Service, Police, Military, and the Mobile Task Force Unit (MTU). The Authority is currently awaiting a comprehensive report from the security agencies.
There were certainly lapses, but we’ve had one debrief already and another is scheduled for Friday. The final recommendations from the security operatives will guide our strategy going forward to avoid a repeat of such incidents
Ampofo emphasized that important lessons have been learned from the incident and assured the public that future games will be better managed.
By the next game, we would have eliminated all these potential risk factors. We take the safety of fans very seriously and will ensure the necessary improvements are made.
Ghana beat Chad 5-0in the match, which saw thousands of fans throng the stadium, marking a return of the Black Stars to the capital after several months.
