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. [5] There has been ongoing controversy about the name of the stadium. On 16 June 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-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 as well as Accra Lions FC and 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 nine matches, [7] 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. [8] Perhaps the most famous one took place on Saturday, 6 November 1976, when Ghanaian David Kotei, 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. [9] This program also featured a bout between undefeated, 29–0 prospect Sulley Shittu and Felix Figueroa, which Shittu won by 8 rounds decision. [10] The crowd for this event has been estimated at over 100,000 fans. [11]
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) is the governing body of association football in Ghana and it based in Accra the capital of Ghana. Founded in 1957, the Association was dissolved by the Ghanaian Minister of Sport, Isaac Kwame Asiamah, on 7th June, 2018, after the discovery of corruption in the association through investigative videos. In October 2019, a new president, Kurt Okraku, was elected as the association reconvened upon the completion of the work of the FIFA Normalization Committee. Mark Addo was later elected vice president in November 2019. Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku has been re-elected as President of the Ghana Football Association during their 2023 Elective Congress in Tamale in the Northern region Ghana.
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 Confederation of African Football (CAF). The tournament was staged at four venues around Ghana between 20 January and 10 February 2008. This was the last Africa Cup of Nations to use the old CAF logo.
The 2000 CAF Champions League was the 36th awarding of Africa's premier club football tournament prize organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and the 4th prize under the CAF Champions League format. Hearts of Oak SC of Ghana defeated ES Tunis of Tunisia in the final to win their first title.
The Tamale Sports Stadium is a multipurpose stadium in Tamale, Ghana, mostly used for football matches as well as a place for hosting events and serves as the home stadium of Real Tamale United, Tamale City FC and Steadfast FC. The stadium which hosted some matches during the 2008 African Cup of Nations has a capacity of about 20,000 and it was completed in 2008 by the Shanghai Construction Group of China. The stadium looks similar to the Sekondi-Takoradi Stadium.
David Kotey, 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.
Ransford Osei is a Ghanaian former professional footballer, who last played as a striker for Lithuanian club Palanga.
Daniel Tawiah Opare is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a right-back.
Azumah Nelson Sports Complex, also known as Kaneshie Sports Complex, is a multi-use stadium in Accra, Ghana. The stadium was originally built during the era of the Supreme Military Council under General Acheampong in the 1970s. It was used mostly for football matches, on club level by Accra Hearts of Oak SC and Great Olympics of the Ghana Premier League while the Ohene Djan Stadium was being re-built in 2007. The stadium has a capacity of 10,000 spectators. It is named after Azumah Nelson.
Ghana's most popular sport is football, followed by boxing, Athletics, Badminton and basketball.
Real Republicans Football Club were a Ghanaian association football club based in the capital, Accra, along with Hearts of Oak, one of the most successful Ghanaian clubs in recent years. It was claimed it held Ghana's record for the most consecutive wins, four. The club claimed it formed the core of the national team, Ghana Black Stars.
The 2008 Africa Cup of Nations Final was a football match that took place on 10 February 2008 at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra, Ghana to determine the winner of the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, the football championship of African national teams organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Ohene Djan was a Ghanaian sports administrator. He was the First Director (Minister) of Sports of Ghana at the Central Organisation of Sports (COS) and was also vice-president of the Confederation of African Football.
Senyuiedzorm Awusi Adadevoh is a Ghanaian sports photographer and photojournalist based in Accra, Ghana. Her career as a photographer began in 1999, eventually transitioning into sports photography in the mid-2000s. In 2008, Adadevoh began working with the Black Stars, the senior national football team of Ghana. Adadevoh is the founder of the photography bank Solvers Ghana, the photography and photojournalism companies Sports Unlimited and Society Unlimited.
Baba Yara was a Ghanaian international football player. He was popularly known as the ''King of Wingers''.
The 2000 CAF Champions League Final was a football tie held over two legs in December 2000. Hearts of Oak of Ghana beat Espérance of Tunisia 5–2.
Adolf Armah is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who played as a defender. He is known for his involvement in the squad that won the 1978 African Cup of Nations.
Emmanuel Ofei Ansah was a Ghanaian former professional footballer and manager. During his playing career he played as a defender for Accra Hearts of Oak. At the international level, he is known for his involvement in the squad that won the 1978 African Cup of Nations. Whilst serving as the manager of Accra Hearts of Oak, on 7 June 2005, he collapsed after a Ghana Premier league match and was rushed to the Ridge Hospital, Accra, but unfortunately died the following day.
The SWAG Cup (Sports Writers Association of Ghana Cup) is an annual one-off game, featuring two selected clubs at the end of the season. The cup is called the H.P. Nyemitei Cup in honour of former GFA president Henry Plange Nyemitei and the SIC H.P. Nyemitei Cup for sponsorship reasons. football season. The game is the official shutdown match for the football season in Ghana.
Ghana are one of Africa's major forces in the Africa Cup of Nations. Ghana made its debut in 1963, Ghana emerged and became a fearsome power of the tournament, winning the tournament again in 1965 and 1978.
