Accra Hearts of Oak head coach Nebojša Kapor has identified the lack of quality playing pitches as a major challenge facing Ghana football, while expressing hope that the club will eventually secure a permanent home stadium of its own.
The Bosnian-Herzegovinian trainer made the comments after Hearts secured a narrow 1-0 victory over newly promoted Port City in their Ghana Premier League Matchday Six fixture at the University of Ghana Stadium on Sunday, October 11.
Although the result provided three valuable points, Kapor was careful not to overstate the performance.
He acknowledged that his team still had clear areas in which to improve, yet he placed particular emphasis on the broader structural problem of poor playing surfaces that continues to affect clubs across the domestic game.
Speaking to the media after the match, Kapor highlighted the temporary nature of the venue currently used by Hearts. “This is not our stadium; it’s a national stadium. This is not just our home ground; it’s for all Ghanaians. It’s true that it’s not our stadium,” he said.
The remarks reflected a long-standing desire within the club for a dedicated facility that would allow the team to train and play consistently on a surface suited to their style of play.
He went further, linking the issue of pitch quality directly to the development of Ghanaian football as a whole. “We have to improve our team, and Ghana football already has a serious problem with pitches. I have a lot of obligations, and this is not part of them,” he added.
For Kapor, the responsibility for upgrading playing surfaces lies beyond the day-to-day duties of a head coach. While he remains focused on tactical preparation, player development and match results, he believes the state of the pitches requires attention from administrators and stakeholders at a higher level.
The victory lifted Hearts of Oak to second place in the Ghana Premier League standings, three points behind leaders Medeama. The result reinforced the club’s ambitions for a strong start to the campaign and demonstrated their ability to grind out results even when performances are not entirely convincing.
Port City, by contrast, suffered their second defeat of the season. After an encouraging beginning to their debut campaign in the top flight, the newly promoted side dropped to fourth place and now face the challenge of recovering momentum.
Looking ahead, Hearts will travel to Tema to face Vision FC in their next league fixture. Port City, meanwhile, prepare to host Dreams FC as the Matchday Seven matches take place this weekend. Both teams will be seeking to build on or recover from the outcome of their recent encounter, with the condition of the playing surfaces remaining an unspoken but persistent factor in the quality of football on display.
Kapor’s comments have once again drawn attention to an issue that has long frustrated coaches, players and supporters in Ghana.
While individual clubs continue to chase results and league positions, the absence of consistently high-quality pitches is widely regarded as a barrier to technical improvement and to the overall competitiveness of the Premier League.
For Hearts of Oak, the search for a permanent home stadium remains an important long-term goal, one that the coach clearly hopes will eventually materialise and provide the club with the stable environment it needs to progress.
