The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has declined the use of Cape Coast Sports Stadium as the venue for Medeama Sporting Club’s CAF Champions League group stage matches. As a result, the club has been urged to relocate to Kumasi’s Baba Yara Stadium.
This decision follows a recent CAF inspection that found the Cape Coast Stadium unsuitable for senior international matches.
Consequently, the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi is now the sole approved venue in Ghana for hosting such games, including CAF inter-club group stage matches.
Medeama’s journey to the CAF Champions League group stage has been remarkable, marking their debut in this prestigious competition. They earned their spot by overcoming formidable opponents, Remo Stars and Horoya AC, in the preliminary rounds.
Group D of the competition presents significant challenges for Medeama, as they will compete against the defending champions, Al Ahly SC, the Algerian champions CR Belouizdad, and Tanzanian giants Young Africans. Their group stage campaign is scheduled to begin with an away fixture against Al Ahly in Cairo, followed by a home match against Belouizdad, potentially hosted at the Baba Yara Stadium. Subsequent home games will see Medeama facing off against Young Africans and Al Ahly.
The CAF Champions League group stage matches are set to commence on November 25 and 26, 2023, with the competition concluding on March 1 and 2, 2024. The final decision on the venue for Medeama’s home matches is still pending, awaiting confirmation from CAF.