Ghana, a four-time African champion and one of the few African nations to have reached the quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup, has experienced a decline in its football supremacy. In 2009, the country’s under-20 team, led by Andre Ayew, won the Youth Under-20 World Cup on African soil, becoming the only African nation to have won the prestigious trophy. However, in the last four decades, Ghana has failed to win the African Cup of Nations, despite reaching the finals in 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2015. The country’s poor performance in Egypt in 2019 marked the beginning of a decline in its football supremacy. In 2021, the senior national team failed to qualify from their group stage in Cameroon, prompting concerns about the technical bench. The situation did not improve at the 2022 World Cup, where Ghana failed to qualify from the group stage after losing to Uruguay.
A change in the technical bench was made to focus on winning the country’s fifth trophy at the African continental showpiece in Ivory Coast. However, Ghana experienced another heartbreak when the team failed to pass the group stage. The situation has worsened, with the senior national football team failing to qualify for the African Cup of Nations, which will be held in Morocco. This is the first time the team has failed to qualify for the tournament since 2004. In a modern world where football is a big business, Ghana has failed to nurture its abundant talent through its local football league. Since 2008, Ghana has lost two slots at African inter-club competitions, hindering the exposure of its teams on the continental level.
Big clubs in the league, such as Kotoko and Hearts Oak, have failed to reach the group stages of club competitions in Africa. The question on everyone’s mind is: what is happening to Ghanaian football when the sport is generating massive revenue globally? The football federation has failed to put in place the right mechanisms to promote football in Ghana. The national league lacks sponsorship, broadcasting, good pitches, and proper officiating. The owners of football teams have also failed to make proper arrangements for their clubs, including providing proper facilities, medical care, and payment structures. This has hindered the talent of many potential good players, with the few who excel being sold to countries that are doing well in football, thereby destroying Ghana’s game. Recently, football fans have lost interest in football games due to the lack of effective security at some venues.
Football, once a national glory, is dwindling, and it is time for the government and the football federation to introduce new mechanisms to improve the game that unites every home in Ghana. Through football, a large number of youths can be employed, businesses can boom during big matches, local tourism can increase, and Ghana can gain international recognition due to its exported players.
Datboi Coba
Eden height
Weija Accra
