Coaches, players enraged over AFCON ‘killer’ pitches
The poor quality of pitches at the Africa Cup of Nations tournament has enraged players and coaches after some teams lost key players to injuries believed to have been occasioned by the nature of the playing surface at all the four venues, particularly in Franceville, Oyem and Port Gentil.
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The never ending criticism has put the host nation and Confederation of African Football (CAF) in the spotlight for providing playing fields that not only undermine good football, but also are a danger to the game’s finest players.
After Ghana’s 0-1 loss to Egypt at the Stade de Port Gentil last Wednesday, Ghana coach Avram Grant, his Egyptian counterpart Hector Cuper and Black Stars players Asamoah Gyan and Christian Atsu added their voices to the loud chorus in condemning the pitches in place for the continent’s showpiece event.
Before the game, Grant had hinted he would not like to play the quarter-finals in Port Gentil and the loss to Egypt further added to his frustrations.
“I hope the pitch in Oyem will be better because this pitch is not good for playing football,” fumed the Israeli trainer, who had earlier expressed his misgivings after his team lost defender Baba Rahman due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament and damage to his meniscus.
Days earlier, Grant expressed sympathy for Egypt after losing their first choice goalkeeper Ahmed El-Shewani to a freak injury, while Burkina Faso’s talisman Jonathan Pitrioipa lasted just 11 minutes after sustaining a hamstring injury while running in their 1-1 draw with Cameroun in Libreville. Later in the match, the Burkinabes lost Jonathan Zongo under similar circumstances.
Even more enraged last Wednesday was Gyan, who suffered a thigh injury while running for the ball against Egypt and risks missing Ghana’s next match.
“It’s very frustrating. We’ve been complaining about the pitches since day one. Six players are out of the competition due to the pitch, that’s my worry. Four are out with muscle injuries and I’m the victim right now,” complained Gyan, who underwent a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) test in Libreville yesterday to ascertain the extent of the injury.
GFA president and a member of CAF’s Executive Committee, Kwesi Nyantakyi, expressed worry at the situation and told the Daily Graphic that officials of the football regulatory body had been notified about the state of the pitches and the risks it exposed players to.
The Daily Graphic learned that Ghanaian youngster, Ebenezer Assifuah, nearly injured himself while warming up before the Stars’ opening clash with Uganda last week.
“The pitches are not good and CAF is concerned about it, but there’s very little that can be done now,” he said.
“It seems they didn’t plant the grass early so it is not growing and you can see there’s a lot of sand underneath. The players are complaining about it, so a decision was taken for the teams not to warm up on the field. And it appears the training pitches are far better than the pitches at the stadium. That’s strange.”
Last Wednesday, Mali and Uganda played on a very soggy pitch following a downpour before the match and it further exposed the poor conditions of the fields in Gabon.
