The search for answers has been chronicled following a qualifying campaign that saw the Black Stars fail to win a single game. With three draws, three defeats and just three goals, a lot of questions have been raised about the team and the Ghana Football Association.
Some recrimination was to be expected, and for many, the dissolution of the Black Stars management committee team was simply a token gesture, posturing when there is a need for candid self-reflection and an extensive overhaul.
If there is to be any change, it must start from the top, and there have intensifying calls for both the President of the Ghana Football Association, Kurt Okraku, and the head coach of Ghana’s Senior National Men’s Team, Otto Addo to resign.
While Ghana failing to qualify for the African Cup of Nations next year in Morocco might come as a surprise to many, it cannot be said be to inconsistent with the status quo under the administration.
A decade on from the scandal from the 2014 World Cup, where players from the national team threatened to boycott a crucial group stage game against Portugal until they got paid, forcing the government to charter a direct flight to Brazil to give each player $100,000, Ghana football seems to have inexplicably hit a new low.
Within these 10 years, the national team has gone from playing in consecutive AFCON semifinals, to failing to get out of the group stage, and now being unable to qualify for the tournament entirely. This is in contrast with the 10 years that preceded them, a period that could be considered a golden age of Ghanaian football, but which also began in similar circumstances, and therein lies the hope of the nation.
From failing to qualify for the African Cup of Nations in 2004, this was followed by a debut appearance at World Cup in Germany in 2006 and another appearance in 2010, Ghana reached the quarterfinal in the country’s second ever appearance at the tournament, which was in South Africa.
There was also consistent qualification for the continental tournament, and the resilience shown to recover from the setback could be key, and prove to be the pathway back to redemption for the side.
Admittedly, the last time we did fail to qualify for the African Cup of Nations, we did at least win a game, managing four points despite playing two less games.
Sudan’s qualification to next year’s competition under the guidance of Kwesi Appiah draws an almost unnerving parallel with 2004 again, when Benin, who were then managed by James Attuquayefio, another former head coach of the Black Stars, also managed to book their place in the tournament as Ghana missed out entirely.
All signs seemingly point to a crisis deeper than any other in recent memory, but not necessarily one that it is insurmountable. Given the country’s successes in recent past years, complacency setting in does not necessarily come as a surprise, but should be disdained. The right to compete at these tournaments will never be a given, and must always be won on the field, and achieved by making the right decisions off it.
The road back must involve a conscious and consistent effort to evolve our mindset and approach, and like justice, it is almost as imperative that the change is seen to be happening, as it is that the change actually happens. One thing is clear: this GFA administration no longer has the support of the people it seeks to serve.
However, with Otto Addo still at position and Kurt Okraku unfazed by the calls for his resignation, there isn’t a lot of indication that things would change any time soon. However, in light of results from the 2024 Ghana Presidential and Parliamentary Elections, the year looks to have ended with a renewed sense of optimism that could spill over into the Back Stars.
