diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/ath9k/debug.c b/drivers/net/wireless/ath9k/debug.c
index 8d91422106d9fbf63f55b9bd61a6281153651166..0f7e249d2d2e29a8a4d1acadfbf13fe1ab48676f 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wireless/ath9k/debug.c
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/ath9k/debug.c
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@
 static unsigned int ath9k_debug = DBG_DEFAULT;
 module_param_named(debug, ath9k_debug, uint, 0);
 
+static struct dentry *ath9k_debugfs_root;
+
 void DPRINTF(struct ath_softc *sc, int dbg_mask, const char *fmt, ...)
 {
 	if (!sc)
@@ -491,12 +493,8 @@ int ath9k_init_debug(struct ath_softc *sc)
 {
 	sc->debug.debug_mask = ath9k_debug;
 
-	sc->debug.debugfs_root = debugfs_create_dir(KBUILD_MODNAME, NULL);
-	if (!sc->debug.debugfs_root)
-		goto err;
-
 	sc->debug.debugfs_phy = debugfs_create_dir(wiphy_name(sc->hw->wiphy),
-						      sc->debug.debugfs_root);
+						      ath9k_debugfs_root);
 	if (!sc->debug.debugfs_phy)
 		goto err;
 
@@ -538,5 +536,19 @@ void ath9k_exit_debug(struct ath_softc *sc)
 	debugfs_remove(sc->debug.debugfs_interrupt);
 	debugfs_remove(sc->debug.debugfs_dma);
 	debugfs_remove(sc->debug.debugfs_phy);
-	debugfs_remove(sc->debug.debugfs_root);
+}
+
+int ath9k_debug_create_root(void)
+{
+	ath9k_debugfs_root = debugfs_create_dir(KBUILD_MODNAME, NULL);
+	if (!ath9k_debugfs_root)
+		return -ENOENT;
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
+void ath9k_debug_remove_root(void)
+{
+	debugfs_remove(ath9k_debugfs_root);
+	ath9k_debugfs_root = NULL;
 }
diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/ath9k/debug.h b/drivers/net/wireless/ath9k/debug.h
index 2a33d74fdbee658738a0d01cc18664fd24dbd177..065268b8568f218266e68e7ee1e5fe70d7264859 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wireless/ath9k/debug.h
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/ath9k/debug.h
@@ -102,7 +102,6 @@ struct ath_stats {
 
 struct ath9k_debug {
 	int debug_mask;
-	struct dentry *debugfs_root;
 	struct dentry *debugfs_phy;
 	struct dentry *debugfs_dma;
 	struct dentry *debugfs_interrupt;
@@ -114,6 +113,8 @@ struct ath9k_debug {
 void DPRINTF(struct ath_softc *sc, int dbg_mask, const char *fmt, ...);
 int ath9k_init_debug(struct ath_softc *sc);
 void ath9k_exit_debug(struct ath_softc *sc);
+int ath9k_debug_create_root(void);
+void ath9k_debug_remove_root(void);
 void ath_debug_stat_interrupt(struct ath_softc *sc, enum ath9k_int status);
 void ath_debug_stat_rc(struct ath_softc *sc, struct sk_buff *skb);
 void ath_debug_stat_retries(struct ath_softc *sc, int rix,
@@ -135,6 +136,15 @@ static inline void ath9k_exit_debug(struct ath_softc *sc)
 {
 }
 
+static inline int ath9k_debug_create_root(void)
+{
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static inline void ath9k_debug_remove_root(void)
+{
+}
+
 static inline void ath_debug_stat_interrupt(struct ath_softc *sc,
 					    enum ath9k_int status)
 {
diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/ath9k/main.c b/drivers/net/wireless/ath9k/main.c
index f473fee72a2e49666b0011ae714e55c68ac9953c..bb30ccca18436acf958b3739e958711fe73bbe1b 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wireless/ath9k/main.c
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/ath9k/main.c
@@ -2858,12 +2858,20 @@ static int __init ath9k_init(void)
 		goto err_out;
 	}
 
+	error = ath9k_debug_create_root();
+	if (error) {
+		printk(KERN_ERR
+			"ath9k: Unable to create debugfs root: %d\n",
+			error);
+		goto err_rate_unregister;
+	}
+
 	error = ath_pci_init();
 	if (error < 0) {
 		printk(KERN_ERR
 			"ath9k: No PCI devices found, driver not installed.\n");
 		error = -ENODEV;
-		goto err_rate_unregister;
+		goto err_remove_root;
 	}
 
 	error = ath_ahb_init();
@@ -2877,6 +2885,8 @@ static int __init ath9k_init(void)
  err_pci_exit:
 	ath_pci_exit();
 
+ err_remove_root:
+	ath9k_debug_remove_root();
  err_rate_unregister:
 	ath_rate_control_unregister();
  err_out:
@@ -2888,6 +2898,7 @@ static void __exit ath9k_exit(void)
 {
 	ath_ahb_exit();
 	ath_pci_exit();
+	ath9k_debug_remove_root();
 	ath_rate_control_unregister();
 	printk(KERN_INFO "%s: Driver unloaded\n", dev_info);
 }