Entertainment pundit Ola Michael has argued that Ghana now has no excuse not to host major international concerts, citing the availability of pitch covers at the country’s main stadiums.
Speaking in UTV’s United Showbiz on February 21, 2026, Ola Michael addressed the long-standing controversy surrounding the use of the Accra Sports Stadium for musical concerts.
According to him, whenever event organisers announce shows at the stadium, particularly concerts headlined by dancehall artistes such as Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy, there is often backlash from sections of the sporting community.
“When we’re going to host shows, especially with Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy’s shows at Accra Sports Stadium, we get a lot of backlashes, especially from the sports people. They say we’re damaging the pitch and some also say the stadium is not meant for musical concerts,” he said.
He continued, “They even went to the extent of making it seem as though those who work at NSA don’t know what they’re doing.”
Ola Michael explained that stadiums around the world have successfully hosted large-scale concerts without permanently damaging their pitches, stressing that the main difference was infrastructure.
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“Stadiums which are around the world where big concerts have been held, the only difference was the fact that they have pitch covers and we didn’t,” he stated.
He further disclosed that it was players within the creative arts industry who initiated conversations about acquiring pitch covers after repeated criticisms.
“It’s entertainment creative platforms that made the conversation about pitch covers and some people then realized the pitch covers are in demand, so they can invest there.
“The sports people should know that the pitch covers that’s generating money to NSA whiles some people are also being employed, they should know where it came from. This came from the people they insulted that they’re damaging the stadium,” he shared.
With pitch covers now available, Ola Michael indicated that other stadiums across the country can also host concerts without concerns about pitch destruction.
“Now if we want to have a show in Kumasi, we have pitch covers so we can do it there and same as the stadiums in Accra. This is good for the creative industry because we’ve been crying for a bigger venue, so we are happy to get this. Ghana has no excuse not to host bigger and major concerts,” he added.
FG/EB
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