Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Kurt Okraku says there are underlying reasons behind Ghana’s 44-year wait for another Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title, but insists some of those issues cannot be discussed publicly.
Okraku made the remarks while addressing a parliamentary committee examining matters relating to Ghana football, acknowledging that despite having several generations of talented players, the Black Stars have been unable to reclaim the continental crown since their last triumph in 1982.
Ghana have reached the AFCON final three times since then but have fallen short on each occasion.
“The Black Stars in 44 years have not won the AFCON. This is a statement of fact. In 44 years, we’ve had different generations of super talents and in 44 years, we’ve been to the grand finale on three occasions,” Okraku said.
He suggested that certain factors behind the prolonged drought were better discussed away from the public spotlight, despite the committee’s interest in understanding the reasons for Ghana’s failure to win the competition.
“There are certain reasons that I will not want to talk about here because I see cameras and whatever we say here is public. Sometimes certain truths said at a wrong time could be very damaging,” he added.
Okraku, however, indicated that the GFA would be willing to have a more private discussion with the committee to address the issues.
“If this committee is very interested in going to the bottom to find perhaps that singular reason why Ghana in 44 years have not won an AFCON trophy, we can have that discussion with other cameras,” he said.
The GFA president also defended the association’s independent status, stressing that it is a private entity that works closely with the government but is not a government organisation.
His comments come amid growing scrutiny of the Black Stars following a difficult period for the senior men’s national team, including consecutive defeats to Côte d’Ivoire and The Gambia in their opening 2027 AFCON qualifying matches.
