“It’s like playing on concrete” – Otto Addo slams poor astroturf ahead of Ghana vs Chad World Cup qualifier clash

Black Stars head coach Otto Addo has expressed serious concerns about the quality of the pitch for Ghana’s upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Chad. The Group I matchday 7 fixture is scheduled to take place on today, September 4, at the Stade Olympique Maréchal Idriss Deby Itno (MIDI) in N’Djamena, Chad.

While the stadium itself is impressive, the playing surface, a hard astroturf pitch has drawn criticism from the Ghanaian coach.

In his pre-match interview, Addo revealed his surprise that such a pitch was approved for an international fixture, describing the surface as feeling like concrete.

“The pitch is really, really not good. It’s very, very hard for the players, it’s like playing on concrete,” he said. Despite his reservations, Addo stressed that the team must adapt to the conditions as they prepare for the game.

Addo further elaborated that although astroturf pitches are more common now, the one at the Stade Olympique Maréchal Idriss Deby Itno does not meet the standards of modern turf technology.

He emphasized that far better and healthier artificial pitches exist today, making the current surface less suitable and posing challenges for player safety and performance.

“We observed everything today. Like I said, it’s not a good AstroTurf, to be honest. Nowadays, there are far better Astroturfs, which are also much healthier for the players,”  Otto Addo mentioned.

The match between Chad and Ghana kicks off at 1 pm local time on Thursday, September 4, 2025. The outcome of this qualifier is crucial in Group I as both teams vie for a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Ghana will be aiming to overcome the difficult playing conditions and secure vital points on their path to Qatar.