Accra Sports Stadium

Accra Sports Stadium
Location Accra, Ghana
Capacity 40,000[1][2]
Surface Grass
Construction
Opened 1952
Renovated 2007
Architect Alexander Georgiev Barov
Tenants
Great Olympics
Hearts of Oak

The Accra Sports Stadium, formerly named the Ohene Djan Stadium is a multi-use, 39,800 all-seater stadium in Accra.[3] Ghana, mostly used for association football matches. It is also used for rugby union.[4]

Overview

The stadium was inaugurated in 1952 by a football match played between Accra XI and Kumasi XI. Originally known as the Accra Sports Stadium, the stadium was renamed after Ohene Djan, the country's first Director of Sports, in 2004 after renovations. Its renaming was quite controversial and opposed by the Ga people.[5] There has been ongoing controversy about the name of the stadium. On June 16, 2011, the name 'Ohene Djan Stadium' on the stadium building was changed to 'Accra Sports Stadium' without any official announcement by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly supported by the National Democratic Congress Government.[6] It has since been reverted.

As a designated venue of some of the 2008 African Cup of Nations matches, the stadium was rebuilt, upgraded and modernized to meet FIFA standards. Work on the stadium was completed in October 2007. It was inaugurated with a four-nations tournament that Ghana won (the Zenith Cup).

The stadium is also the home of one of Africa's most popular clubs, Hearts of Oak as well as Great Olympics, but Ghana's national team matches are sometimes played there.

During the 2000 African Cup of Nations in Ghana and Nigeria, the stadium hosted 9 matches,[7] and was also the venue of the 1978 final.

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ "Ohene Djan Stadium will last "forever"- Micheletti". ghananewsagency.org. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  2. ↑ "Accra Sports Stadium – StadiumDB.com". stadiumdb.com.
  3. ↑ "World Stadiums - Stadiums Ghana". www.worldstadiums.com.
  4. ↑ "Conquerors blow Hurricanes away in Rugby Championship Final - X Live Africa". xliveafrica.com.
  5. ↑ Ghanaian Chronicle (28 April 2005). "Ohene Djan Did Not Warrant Honour - Adjin Tettey". Sports news. Ghana Home Page. Retrieved 2007-04-06.
  6. ↑ "Ohene Djan Stadium renamed Accra Sports Stadium". Ghana Home Page. 2011-06-17. Retrieved 2011-06-19.
  7. ↑ "Accra National Stadium". Cup of Nations Venue Guide. BBC. Retrieved 2007-04-06.

Coordinates: 5°33′05.51″N 0°11′30.36″W / 5.5515306°N 0.1917667°W / 5.5515306; -0.1917667

Preceded by
Addis Ababa Stadium
Addis Ababa		 African Cup of Nations
Final Venue
1978		 Succeeded by
National Stadium
Lagos
Preceded by
Cairo International Stadium
Cairo		 African Cup of Nations
Final Venue
2008		 Succeeded by
Estádio Cidade Universitária
Luanda
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