Laryea Kingston blames bad pitch for Ghana defeat to Angola
By Lukman MUMIN, Accra
Legendary Ghanaian winger Laryea Kingston insists players of the senior national team struggled against Angola because of the poor nature of the Baba Yara Stadium pitch.
Ghana lost their Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers opener to Angola last Thursday, suffering their first defeat in Kumasi in 24 years.
An error from Abdul Mumin, a situation Kingston attributes to the pitch, saw Felicio Milson score from close range in injury time to secure victory for the Palancas Negra.
“If the pitch is very good, I think Mumin will still be on his feet and have a clear opportunity of clearing the ball,” he told Joy Sports.
“For me, I know people will say previously we played on the same pitch and got results. I want them to know that football has changed…we want to have the ball on the ground, and we want fast pitches.
“The players who played the game, played last weekend [for their various clubs]…when they come here, because of the pitch they struggle.”
He also added that Mohammed Kudus and Antoine Semenyo failed to replicate their form in the English Premier League because of the terrible playing surface at the Baba Yara Stadium.
“Look at Kudus at West Ham and Semenyo at Bournemouth. They perform fantastically for their clubs, but when they come here, they struggle because of the poor quality of our pitches,” he said.
