President Akufo-Addo has publicly stated his intention to start a policy that will revitalise Ghanaian football, which is in decline.
He addressed the deterioration of the game, especially the Black Stars’ failure to win the recent 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), in his “State of the Nation Address,” which he gave in the Ghanaian Parliament on Tuesday, February 27, 2024.
“We need to address the issues at hand with a long-term, forward-thinking strategy.
The president presented a forward-looking Presidential Football Policy that begins at the district level and concentrates on finding, developing, and showcasing talent at all levels.
“Mr. Speaker, I think it’s time to fix what went wrong by taking a long-term, forward-thinking approach,” he said.
In line with a presidential policy on football that I want to announce, it is time to get back to scouting, developing, and nurturing talent at the district grassroots level. Building district, regional, and national juvenile teams for boys and girls will be the goal of the Ministry of Education’s school sports department in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ghana Football Association (GFA).
The successful previous initiatives, particularly, Ben Koufie’s five-year development plan during the NPP administration of President J.A. Kufuor, served as models for the new strategy, Akufo-Addo stated.
Talents like Asamoah Gyan and Stephen Appiah were later found and developed under this method, along with Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, John Mensah, Derrick Boateng, and others. The globe and we both saw the outcomes. It requires patience, perseverance, and time. Where we have not planted and irrigated, we are unable to harvest. “I am confident that the Black Stars will triumph and restore our pride,” he emphasised.
Following the Black Stars’ disappointing performance at AFCON 2023—in which they failed to win a game and lost in the group stage for the second time in a row—the Ghana Football Association decided to dissolve Chris Hughton’s coaching team. To give the national squad a fresh perspective, the association is presently looking for a replacement.
Concurrently, a group of concerned Ghanaians issued a petition to Parliament proposing changes to Ghanaian football, organized under the pseudonym #SaveGhanaFootball.
