- Kotoko Coach Eric Tinkler Raises Alarm Over Poor Standard of Ghana’s Football Pitches
Asante Kotoko head coach Eric Tinkler has raised concerns about the quality of football pitches in Ghana, adding his voice to a growing debate over whether inadequate playing surfaces are undermining the technical development and overall standard of the domestic game.
In comments reported by Citi Sports, the South African coach said the standard of pitches he has encountered since taking charge of Kotoko is “not great”, placing infrastructure firmly among the challenges confronting clubs preparing for the 2026/27 Ghana Premier League season.
The concern is particularly significant coming from a coach with experience outside Ghana who can compare local playing conditions with those in other football environments.
Tinkler’s assessment comes at a time when the condition of several major football venues has already generated public concern. National Sports Authority Director-General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah recently acknowledged that Ghana continues to face serious challenges with sporting infrastructure and questioned why proceeds associated with repeated World Cup appearances had not translated into better football facilities.
The issue extends beyond aesthetics because the quality of a playing surface directly influences the type of football teams can produce. Uneven or poorly maintained pitches can make controlled passing more difficult, affect the speed and predictability of the ball and force teams towards more direct approaches even when coaches are attempting to build possession-based systems.
For a club such as Kotoko, which enters the new campaign under a coach demanding greater preparation, professionalism and tactical discipline, the quality of the surface can become an important part of performance. Tinkler has already said that planning, preparation and work ethic will be central to the club’s ambition of restoring Kotoko to a stronger competitive position.
There is also a player-development dimension to the debate. Young footballers learning the game on inconsistent surfaces can find it harder to develop first-touch quality, passing accuracy and the confidence to play technically demanding football, particularly when poor conditions make simple actions less predictable.
The consequences can extend to injuries and player welfare, although the precise risk depends on the condition and construction of individual pitches. For clubs already operating with constrained medical, training and recruitment budgets, poor surfaces can create another variable coaches must manage during a demanding domestic season.
Ghana’s stadium authorities have acknowledged some of the maintenance challenges. The NSA said in July that the Baba Yara Sports Stadium pitch had gradually become affected by invasive weeds and undesirable grass species, prompting a renovation programme involving weed treatment, mowing, removal of unwanted vegetation, levelling and re-establishment of grass in affected sections.
Concerns have also extended to the Accra Sports Stadium, with the NSA saying Ghana needed urgent improvements to sporting infrastructure ahead of hosting major international competitions.
Mr Ampofo Ankrah said at the time that the country could struggle to stage the 2027 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations without prompt work on facilities, while a foreign company had been engaged to conduct a technical assessment of the Accra venue.
The picture is not uniformly negative. Earlier this year, Hearts of Oak coach Mas-Ud Didi Dramani described the Accra Sports Stadium as having the best pitch in Ghana after measures were introduced to protect and maintain its surface, illustrating that better playing conditions can be achieved where investment and consistent maintenance are sustained.
Tinkler’s intervention therefore points to a broader question about standards across the league rather than the condition of a single stadium. A competition cannot rely on one or two high-quality surfaces if clubs regularly move between venues where pitch conditions vary considerably.
That inconsistency can also affect the attractiveness of the Ghana Premier League as an entertainment product. Better surfaces can support faster and more technically expressive football, while improving television presentation and creating conditions more conducive to the development of players who may eventually move into stronger international leagues.
The responsibility does not rest exclusively with clubs. Stadium ownership and management in Ghana involve different public authorities, local institutions and club arrangements, meaning improvements require clearer maintenance responsibilities, reliable funding and technical expertise rather than periodic rehabilitation after surfaces deteriorate.
For Kotoko, Tinkler’s immediate responsibility remains building a team capable of competing strongly in the coming season. His wider observation, however, highlights an infrastructure problem that no coach can solve through tactics or recruitment alone.
If Ghana wants to improve the quality of its domestic football, player development and commercial appeal, the condition of the pitches on which that football is played cannot remain secondary.
Tinkler’s criticism reinforces a simple point increasingly acknowledged across the game: raising the standard of the Ghana Premier League will also require raising the standard of the surfaces beneath it.
