The Ghanaian minister of Sports and Recreation has suspended all government-backed synthetic turf projects across the country. The minister is concerned about the quality and safety of the pitches.

Speaking on a local radio station, the minister explained that many of the surfaces did not meet acceptable standards. According to him, many were already deteriorating.

“For now, we’ve halted the astro turf projects,” he said. “We said, no, they should suspend (the installation of) it because we need to improve (the quality),” he added.

Last year, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced that the government had the ambition to build 100 new synthetic turf football pitches. These were in addition to the 150 that had already been completed.

Apparently, some of these installations already show defects. At a recent parliamentary meeting, the minister even alluded to an incident that left a player with a severe head injury.

The minister stressed that the ministry cannot continue to fund projects that compromise player safety or public confidence.

“I will not allow my child to go and play ball on those things, so why should I let it go ahead? “he asked.

On another site, a gust of wind blew the synthetic turf carpet in the air.