Former Vice President of the Ghana Football Association, George Afriyie, has expressed his concerns over Ghana’s failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco and the upcoming African Nations Championship (CHAN) set to take place in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Ghana ended 2024 on a disappointing note after losing to Nigeria in the final qualifying round for the CHAN tournament under Coach Didi Dramani.
This compounded an already difficult year for the Black Stars, as Coach Otto Addo failed to secure qualification for the 2025 AFCON, marking the first time in 20 years that Ghana will miss the prestigious tournament under the leadership of GFA President Kurt Okraku.
During the 2025 AFCON qualifiers, Otto Addo’s team finished bottom of Group E without a single win.
Similarly, in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers, Ghana ended at the bottom of Group F with just three points from five games. The team needed to win their final two matches while hoping Sudan, with seven points, lost both—but failed to achieve this.
Before this setback, Ghana, a four-time AFCON champion, had participated in 24 editions of the tournament, with only Egypt (26) and Ivory Coast (25) surpassing their record.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Citi Sports on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, George Afriyie described the situation as deeply troubling, emphasizing the gravity of Ghana’s absence from the 24 teams set to compete at AFCON 2025.
As for the talent we have them what is left is that we need to identify them and then give them proper training and grooming and create the opportunities for them and so for talent we don’t lack.
So if you have a country like Ghana I mean when you mention Ghana anywhere in the world as far as football is concerned I mean everybody knows we have been to the World Cup on four different locations and in itself it’s enough justification that when it comes to Africa we are being counted among one of the best teams.
The Black Stars are set to reconvene in March for two crucial matches against Chad and Madagascar in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, with Coach Otto Addo’s future still uncertain.
Ghana currently sits on six points from two games, having secured victories over Mali in Bamako and the Central African Republic at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi.
However, the country’s 2025 AFCON hopes have come to an end, marking a major disappointment. This outcome has not gone down well with former Executive Council Member George Afriyie, who has voiced his displeasure over Ghana’s absence from the tournament.
But if you have 24 countries participating in the Africa’s biggest Mundial which is African Cup of Nations and Ghana is not taking part or Ghana is not being counted as among the teams then it’s worrying.
If we have teams participating in CHAN and Ghana is not being counted among the best then it’s worrying if we have the Africa under 17 championship coming and Ghana is not counted among them then it’s worrying.
If we are talking about women football the elite women football and Ghana is not participating in any of the African women Championship then it’s worrying.
So we must accept that there’s something wrong, it is only when you agree that there’s something wrong then you can’t find an antidote to it or you can’t find solutions to the problem.
Unfortunately the people who are mandated to run football in this country don’t see it in that light which is very worrying.
