BEDROOM CARPETS: Why He Calls Ghana’s Astroturfs “Bedroom Carpets”

Ghanaian sports broadcaster Godfred Akoto Boafo has criticized the quality of many government-backed artificial football pitches across the country, describing them as “bedroom carpets” that could be causing long-term injuries to young footballers rather than helping to develop the sport.

Speaking in an interview with Kafui Dey, Akoto Boafo said his criticism is not directed at synthetic pitches themselves but at what he believes are the poor-quality surfaces that have been installed across Ghana in recent years.

“If the government knew what it was about,” he said, “no government that understands football development would sanction the construction of 155 artificial pitches across the country.”

He stressed that his comments were not aimed at any particular administration, insisting that successive governments had failed to appreciate the long-term implications of prioritising quantity over quality.

The outspoken broadcaster revealed that his campaign against substandard astroturfs has attracted significant backlash, including accusations that he is trying to destroy businesses involved in constructing the facilities.

“I’ve received a lot of grief about this,” he said. “I’ve had people being incentivised to say all kinds of things against me—that I’m on a campaign to ruin somebody’s business. I’m not interested in ruining anybody’s business. My interest is Ghana.”

Akoto Boafo pointed to what he described as a dramatic shift in government policy. According to him, Ghana had only three publicly owned astroturfs before 2017, but by 2024 that number had risen to about 155, spread across every region.

For him, however, the concern is not the expansion itself but the standard of the facilities.

“The quality of the turfs is my main issue,” he said. “The quality of the turfs that are being laid are the worst of the worst standard.”

He explained that not all artificial pitches are the same. Around the world, he noted, elite football stadiums often use advanced hybrid or high-grade synthetic surfaces that closely resemble natural grass.

“There are grades,” he explained. “When you step on a high-quality 5G turf, if nobody tells you you’re standing on astro, you won’t know. It’s like you’re on grass.”

By contrast, he argued, many of Ghana’s community pitches are built using thin synthetic carpets laid over hard concrete foundations.

“We have littered the country with bedroom carpets,” he said. “They generate a lot of heat and are laid on concrete with a thin layer of substandard turf on top.”

For Akoto Boafo, the consequences go beyond discomfort. He believes the surfaces pose a serious risk to young players whose bodies are still developing.

“You are asking human beings who are developing to be footballers to pound their feet on these surfaces,” he said. “Over time, you are killing ankles, you are killing knees, you are killing waists.”

He insisted that scientific evidence supports concerns about prolonged use of poor-quality artificial pitches, especially those lacking proper shock absorption.

“There is more than enough science to back what I am saying,” he said. “I have not said astroturfs are bad. I am saying the quality of the astroturfs we have laid in this country are bad—especially the ones government sanctioned and paid for.”

He added that he would have had no objection if authorities had invested in higher-quality facilities.

“If you had decided to do astroturfs that are high quality, why would I complain?” he asked.

Beyond the issue of player safety, Akoto Boafo believes the spread of fenced astroturfs has unintentionally reduced opportunities for children to play football freely, arguing that genuine football development begins at the grassroots, where unrestricted access to playing spaces has historically produced some of Ghana’s finest talents.

For him, improving Ghana’s football future is not simply about building more pitches. It is about ensuring that every child who steps onto one does so on a surface that protects, rather than threatens, their dream.