The Accra Sports Stadium, formerly named the Ohene Djan Stadium, is a multi-use stadium (40,000-capacity, all-seater) located in Accra.

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...

, mostly used for

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is t ...

matches. It is also used for rugby union.

Overview

The stadium was inaugurated in 1962 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. 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. It has since been reverted. As a designated venue of some of the

2008 African Cup of Nations The 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the MTN Africa Cup of Nations due to the competition's sponsorship by MTN, was the 26th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football tournament for nations affiliated to the Confede ...

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-nation tournament that Ghana won (the Zenith Cup). The stadium is also the home of one of Africa's most popular clubs,

Hearts of Oak Hearts most commonly refers to: * Hearts (card game), a trick-taking game * Hearts (suit), one of the standard four suits of cards * Heart, an organ Hearts may also refer to: Music * The Hearts, an American girl group closely related to the Jay ...

as well as Great Olympics and

Legon Cities FC Legon Cities FC (formerly known as Wa All Stars FC) is a football club from Ghana currently based in Accra, Greater Accra. The club won the 2016 Ghanaian Premier League. History The club was founded in January 2006 through investments by Kwesi ...

, but Ghana's national team matches are sometimes played there. During the

2000 African Cup of Nations The 2000 African Cup of Nations was the 22nd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the association football championship of Africa (Confederation of African Football, CAF). It was co-hosted by Ghana and Nigeria, who jointly replaced Zimbabwe as ho ...

and

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of G ...

, the stadium hosted 9 matches, and was also the venue of the 1978 final. The venue has also hosted important professional boxing events, numbering 91 professional boxing programs as of August 2020. Perhaps the most famous one took place on Saturday, November 6, 1976, when Ghanaian

David Kotei David Kotey (originating from the Kotei family; born 7 December 1950), popularly called "D.K. Poison", is a former world featherweight boxing champion between 1975 and 1976. He is the first Ghanaian professional boxer to win a world title. Am ...

, the World Boxing Council's world Featherweight champion, lost his championship to future International Boxing Hall of Fame member, Mexican-American Danny Lopez by a 15 rounds unanimous decision. This program also featured a bout between undefeated, 29-0 prospect Sulley Shittu and Felix Figueroa, which Shittu won by 8 rounds decision. The crowd for this event has been estimated at over 100,000 fans.

Notes and references

External links

Ghana-pedia webpage - Ohene Djan Sports StadiumNew Work-in-Progress Photos - October 2007Photo
a
worldstadiums.com
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fussballtempel.net
Moreno Marrazzo {{Ghana Premier League venues Football venues in Ghana Athletics (track and field) venues in Ghana

Sports venues in Ghana Sport in Accra Buildings and structures in Accra Sports venues completed in 1952

Overview

See also

Notes and references

External links