South Africa didn’t follow due process – AHF President

The African Hockey Fed­eration (AHF) has expressed disappointment in the South African decision to pull out of the hockey tournament of the ongoing 13th African Games Accra 2023, citing safety concerns on a pitch they claimed was not perfect for the competition.

The President of the federa­tion, Mr Seif Ahmed, said the South Africans did not consult the AHF before taking the decision it described as unethical.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday at the Theodosia Okoh Hockey Stadium, which has become the venue of contro­versy, Mr Seif admitted to a few challenges which the federation worked very hard to address.

For this reason, he indicated that a technical meeting was called for all the six countries participat­ing in the Games to decide on the pitch but the South African team did not show up.

He disclosed that all the six countries that showed up inspect­ed the pitch and agreed it was good, adding that the only con­cerns at that stage was the delay by the contractor.

According to Mr Seif, there was no doubt work delayed on the construction of the turf but knew it was safe to play on.

According to him, the South Africans did not follow due pro­cess in deciding to withdraw from the competition.

He commended the Local Organising Committee {LOC} for doing a good job, making the atmosphere beautiful and bringing the same quality of hockey game in Africa.

The Executive Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), Dr Kwaku Ofosu Asare, on his part stated that the claim that the pitch was substandard was flawed because the turf was not laid at the time pictures of the

 field were peddled by the South Africans.

He further explained that the mandatory requirement for certification only arises where a pitch is to be used for an Olympic qualifier.

“The newly installed surface at the centre is of the highest quality and is the same surface to be used at the Paris Olympics.”

“What we have heard is that the real reason South Africa pulled out of the competition is because they are afraid of injuries, as they are preparing for the Olympic Games. We are here to protect the athletes, but we have no control over injuries,” he stated.

According to Dr Asare, the 13th African Games has been suc­cessful so far and the decision that the South African hockey team took would not affect it.

With the exception of hockey, South Africa is competing in 17 other events at the Games with a contingent of 346.

The Games is featuring 29 sporting disciplines, attracting over 5,000 athletes from 54 coun­tries on the continent of Africa.

 BY PRECIOUS NYARKO BOAKYE

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