The President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, has voiced his frustration over the continued practice of African countries hosting international football matches outside their home nations.
Speaking at CAF’s Executive Committee meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, Motsepe stressed the detrimental impact this has on the development of football across the continent.
This concern follows the recent decision to ban Ghana’s Baba Yara Sports Stadium from hosting international games, with CAF citing the facility’s unfitness as the reason.
“There’s nothing that frustrates me more than a national team or a football club having to play outside its own country. You can’t build football in Africa if the national teams and clubs don’t play in front of their own fans,” said Motsepe during the press briefing.
Motsepe acknowledged that while progress has been made in reducing the number of countries forced to play abroad, there is still much work to be done. He also outlined CAF’s ongoing efforts to ensure that stadiums across Africa meet both CAF and FIFA standards.
“We’ve seen good success in reducing the number of countries that play outside their nation. In every meeting I have with Heads of State, we focus on working together to ensure there’s at least one stadium in each country that meets FIFA and CAF standards,” he added.
Ghana now joins a list of countries, including Niger, Zimbabwe, Djibouti, Sudan, Chad, Sao Tome, Burundi, Gabon, Eritrea, and Madagascar, which have all been banned by CAF from hosting matches due to substandard pitches and inadequate infrastructure.
CAF continues to push for improvements, aiming to create a football landscape where every African country can host its matches at home, in front of local supporters.
