The Black Stars of Ghana have failed to leave up to expectations in recent times, online sports journalist, Menkah Jacob seeks to identify what is averting the team from assuming it position when it comes to nations known for brushing off teams with ease in the game of football.
Digging into the last two African Cup of Nations of which the senior men’s football team of Ghana have participated in, which have all been one hell of an outing the entire Ghanaian citizenry wish they could erase from their brains.
The statistics, in terms of the Black Stars output in the immediate past African Cup of Nations which was hosted by our neighboring African country, which we share some amount of cultural values, Cote D’Ivoire ended slapping Ghana with a bundle of disgrace.
Ghana Black Stars as usual head into the last African Cup of Nations hoping to return home with the trophy as if it was one to be willed to the country as the leaders, from the Ghana Football Association to the Ministry of Youth and Sports, being headed Honourable Mustapha Yussif channel the idea of bringing back the trophy home since they believed we had the materials to win it.
However, the President of the Ghana Football Association, Mr Kurt Okraku and the sector minister in charge of sports had omitted their sense of reason knowing clearly that, modern football has become extremely scientific and hence, they could not reap what they have not sowed whereas other African countries such as Morocco, had gone to sweep the world off their feet with their performance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup as compared to Ghana, who were kick-out of the same tournament in the group stages.
Clearly, the managers of Ghana’s football pointing to the formulators of policies for sports in the country to the administrators seeing to the country’s domestic respective football leagues.
At the blast of the whistle for country’s to undertake preparations for any forthcoming football competitions, Ghana as a country in the last six years are always behind every country in the race to the championship, being it the FIFA World Cup, and the African Cup of Nations.
Interestingly, Ghana is presently on the brink of not securing a spot in the 2025 African Cup of Nations which will be in Morocco. After four AFCON qualifying matches played by Ghana in Group F, Ghana can only boast of two points, making them the third best team in the group only above Niger, who has one point after they man handled Ghana in a 1:1 result whiles, Angola have already qualified with twelve points with two games left plus Sudan who are only in need of just a point to book qualification.
Why is Ghana’s football limping? Are the individuals in the helm of affairs aware of the topples the various national soccer teams of the country are currently experiencing? Are the leaders of Ghana’s football acquainted with what it takes for a football team to succeed in modern football.
Pointing to the fact that, a country like Ghana, known across the world as one big giant in the world of international football lacks no idea of investing into the infrastructures such as stadia, building academies which will churn out quality youngsters in the game of football including, proving investments to build individual to have the requisite capacity which would in the long run impact the football ecosystem positively.
Ghana’s football has lost it once upon a time the steering wheel that poop-out the likes of Stephen Appiah, Asamoah Gyan, Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, John Painstil, Kwadwo Asamoah and the likes who lifted the flag of Ghana high whenever the country called them into action.
Today, conversations around the Ghana Black Stars is centered on the commitment levels of the players who are called up for national duties. In the last international break, the Ghana Football Association president fumed angrily and bitterly while addressing the players in the camp; he pointed out that, the current crop of players in the Ghana Black Stars are not exhibiting any form of commitment.
Meanwhile, right after he spoke in such mien, he whisked into the next available flight to joint the under-20 Ghana national team in a friendly game against Germany’s Under-20 which was of no amount of significance as compared to the game the senior team were in preparation to play against Sudan in the AFCON qualifiers.
My question is, between the players and Mr Kurt E.S Okraku, who is the President of the Ghana Football Association, in terms of commitment levels, who stands tall or are they in an equilibrium.
The effects of the mediocre tangent leaders and major stake holders of Ghana’s football have decide to toll is one that needs to be relinquished as soon as possible. It is time for a positive direction for Ghana’s football.
