Former Minister for Youth & Sports Minister Elvis Afriyie Ankrah disapproves of the Ghana Football Association’s approach to player progression.
He believes that the GFA’s inability to move players upwards from the country’s youth teams to the Black Stars has hampered the country’s football fortunes in recent times.
Fans and observers of the Black Stars have lamented the absence of players who have featured for the country at under-17 and under-20 levels in the current Black Stars squad.
They assert that this is one reason why the Black Stars have been failing.
Afriyie Ankrah expressed concern over the lack of an effective system for transitioning young players from the under-17 level up to the Black Stars in an exclusive interview with Citi Sports.
For instance, Dede Ayew and Co, they were the badge that was right from that level that it got into the national team.
So, and today globally, is it one of these countries where I saw 17 year old boy [Lamine Yamal] who is playing for a major league in Europe
So if the talents are there, they have to be nurtured and they have to be integrated into the team.
And it must all be based on performance, competence and capability, not on connections, not on a coach or an FA member who has an interest in the player, so the player will get called up by the coach.
If you do that, it’s the kind of results that we were seeing.
So we must be objective, we must love the country more than ourselves, our own parochial and best interest.
Ghana’s current under-20 team, the Black Satellites will take on Nigeria today, October 30, 2024, in the final of the WAFU Zone B Under-20 Championships, set for 7 p.m. at Stade de Kégué in Lomé.
⚽️ 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛𝗗𝗔𝗬 – 𝗪𝗔𝗙𝗨 𝗕 𝗨𝟮𝟬 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟! 🏆#BlackSatellites face Nigeria in the WAFU B U20 final tonight! 🇬🇭🆚🇳🇬
Kickoff at 19:00 GMT 🕰️#QAFCONU20 pic.twitter.com/OKpGOj89dG
— 🇬🇭 Ghana Football Association (@ghanafaofficial) October 30, 2024
Although both teams have already qualified for next year’s U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, the match-up between two of West Africa’s football giants carries high stakes, with a regional title and bragging rights on the line.
The Black Satellites advanced to the final after finishing top of their group with draws against Togo (1-1) and Benin (2-2) and a 2-0 victory over Niger, followed by a spirited 2-1 comeback win over Côte d’Ivoire in the semifinals.
The team last claimed the Under-20 AFCON title in 2021 under former coach Abdul Karim Zito.
That squad, featuring players such as former Hearts of Oak StarBoy Daniel Afriyie Barnieh, Percious Boah, and Fatawu Issahaku, lacked a smooth transition to the senior national team.
