The Minister for Youth and Sports, Hon. Edward Osei Kwaku, has hinted that Ghana will bid to host the 2008 African Cup of Nations to bid farewell to President Kufuor, whose constitutional term of office as a President of Ghana would come to an end in January the same year. As a result of this decision, the ministry has decided to put up four internationally accepted stadia at Tamale, Sekondi, Sunyani and, possibly, Ho to serve as venues to host the tournament.

The proposal and the estimated cost of the entire project will start appearing in the government budget statement to pave way for the actual work to start.

Minister Osei Kwaku said these after being led by Hon. Papa Owusu Ankomah, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, and the Western Regional minister, Hon. Joseph Boahen Aidoo, to inspect the dilapidated Sekondi Gyandu Park, which has currently been closed down, following the collapse of the wall surrounding it.

The Sekondi Gyandu Park, which was reportedly built in a 1942 by Ghana’s colonial masters, is now an eye sore. Almost all the facilities at the stadium have collapsed. The so-called dressing room for both the visiting and the home teams is itself an apology of Ghana soccer.

One has to even hold his nostril very tight before entering the lavatory inside the dressing room. It is therefore not surprising that both home and away teams refuse to use the dressing room. The bad odour emanating from the 19th Century WC in the wash room attached to the dressing room can even land one in hospital. As for the ‘stands,’ the least said about them the better.

In fact, spectators who go there to watch football matches do so at their own risk due to the poor nature of the stands, most of which are wooden structures. In fact, at the stand near the Sekondi Central Prisons, one has to strain his neck before watching football matches on the pitch itself.

The walls surrounding the park have also become a death trap due to the numerous cracks on them. It therefore came as no surprise when part of it caved in during It therefore came as no surprise when part of it caved in during the recent heavy downpour.

This has necessitated the shifting of home matches of Sekondi Hasaacas to Cape Coast Siwdu Park. This unfortunate decision is reported to have affected Hasaacas financially, as their matches are poorly attended at Cape Coast.

Hon. Osei Kwaku, who was shocked at the facilities he saw at the park in a country that prides itself on being four times African champions, promised to release immediately an amount of ?100 million for the reconstruction of the collapsed wall. He reiterated that a new stadium will be built at Sekondi after the completion of that of Kaladan in Tamale, which is the top priority of the government.

Hon. Papa Owusu Ankomah, who is also MP for Sekondi, on his part, told his colleague minister that over the years the government has been spending a substantial sum of money to renovate both the Kumasi and Accra stadia to keep them in good shape.

He continued that even recently the then NDC government put up almost a new stadium at Cape Coast, but that of Gyandu, which is located in the third largest city of Ghana, has been relegated to the background. “I think it is time the attention was focused on Sekondi Gyandu Park also,” he added.